Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Space
by MyPerfectInsanity
Summary: Rita, a human girl, wakes up one day on a beach to discover she's a Delcatty. She meets Smoke, a Quilava, and the two form a rescue team, training at the Rescue Camp with their new friends and enemies. A mysterious force is hypnotizing others, causing tragic events. Rita needs to find her friends and stop it, before time runs out. T for language, violence, death, murder. Gets dark.
1. Prologue

"Stop the boat!" someone yelled.

"No! Keep going!" another voice yelled.

"We can't keep going...the storm is too big and windy!"

"Yes we can! We need to put an end to this!"

Lightning crackled in the sky, striking the boat, sending everyone into the roaring ocean.


	2. Chapter One: Saving Pidgeot

"Hey...hey you...wake up," Someone said, "Yo! I said wake up!"

She woke up.

"There you go!" the voice said. "You're awake!"

She fully opened her eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked. She looked around. _It's a beautiful huge beach..._

"Who are you?" the voice asked. She turned around. _A Quilava..._

"I asked who you were," He said. "Who are you?" he asked again.

She hesitated. Everything was coming back to her. A boat...a storm...thats all she remembered. She looked again at the Quilava. "Huh?" She asked. Reality hit her. "You're a talking Quilava!" she exclaimed. "How is that possible?" she asked. The Quilava looked at her.  
"Your strange..." he said, "I'm...er Smoke," he lied. "Who are you?"  
She thought for a second. "I'm...Rita," Rita said, "where am I? Where is my ship? Where are my friends?" She asked, then realizing Smoke wouldn't know any of this. Questions fluttered through her head. _Where is Jetson? How did I get here? What happened to my ship?_ The sound of Smoke's voice broke her thoughts.

"Your ship? Your friends?" he seemed confused. "Well...I can tell you where you are. You are on Crystal Beach. And beyond those trees lies Light Town. Its where we live," he finished.  
Rita looked around. Everything was so...so wierd. A talking Quilava, Crystal Beach...and what the heck was Light Town?

"Jetson..." she said. "Where is he?" Rita asked.  
"I dont know who Jetson is. Thats an unusual name for a Pokemon anyway..." he said.  
Rita laughed. "A Pokemon?" she asked. "Jetson's no Pokemon. Why would you think that?" she asked.  
Smoke looked very confused now. "Well...its just you're a Pokemon, so I expected a Delcatty to be friends with another Pokemon," he said.  
Rita burst into laughter. "I'm no Pokemon!" she laughed. Then she looked at Smoke. He wasnt joking. Rita walked over to the clear ocean, and looked at her reflection. She gasped. It was true! She looked like a Delcatty!  
"This isnt right!" she screamed, and turned to Smoke. "Use flamethrower on me!" She yelled.  
"Wha-what?" He asked.  
"DO IT!"  
Smoke hit her with Flamethrower. Rita got thrown back, feeling burned all over. "Ah...it didn't work..." She murmured.  
"This isnt a dream..." she said, confused. She turned to Smoke. "Where are we again?"  
"Crystal Beach," he replied.  
"And what is the town called?"  
"Light Town."  
"Okay, are there any other kind of Pokemon there?"  
"Yep."  
"Could you take me there?" she asked.  
Smoke hesitated. "Um...I...cant," he replied slowly.  
"Why?" Rita asked.  
"That's not your buisness!" he snapped.  
Rita was shocked by his sudden change in attitude. "I need information! I need to know what happened to Jetson, and my other friends!"  
Smoke was quiet. "Maybe...you could get information if you visited Rescue Camp."  
"Rescue Camp?" Rita asked, confused.  
"Yeah, it's-" he was cut off by the sound of a scream.  
"HELP ME!" it yelled.  
Rita looked towards the direction of the scream. "We should help!" she yelled.  
"Uh...okay!" Smoke replied, and they both ran in the direction of the scream. They arrived in a big terraain of rocks to see an odd colored Pidgeot and her baby Pidgey cowering in fear. They ran up to them. "Whats wrong?" Smoke asked.  
Pidgeot spoke fast. "A b-big g-gray Pokemon suddenly attacked us! It keeps coming back, with more and more other big gray Pokemon each time! It's a rock type, so my flying moves arent working well against it!" she slowed down, "Please help us!"  
Rita spoke first. "We will!"  
"W-We will? ...Yeah we will!" Smoke declared. Suddenly 5 huge Pokemon burst through the rocks.

"It's a Rhyperior!" Rita screeched, terrified. She looked at Smoke. _His fire type moves won't work well..._  
Smoke, already knowing his moves would have little effect, threw a bursting flame at the first Rhyperior. Easily, it was knocked out. Smoke and Rita looked at each other, confused.  
"Ah...oh well! That's good!" Rita said. She didn't know how to use moves exactly, but she tried anyway. She used Thunderbolt by accident. _Whoops...that won't work... _  
But, surprisingly, it knocked out the Rhyperior. "What is this?" Smoke asked, stunned.  
Pidgeot looked confused herself.  
Rita didn't know, but she decided to go with the flow. She hit another Rhyperior with Thunderbolt, while Smoke used flamethrower on the last two.  
Pidgeot got up. "You two...are very strong. I don't know exactly what happened, but you two got guts. Thank you for saving us."  
"You're welcome," Rita and Smoke said in unison.  
"What are your names, may I ask?"  
"I'm Smoke..." Smoke replied, "and this is Rita." Rita smiled. She felt...good, that she helped out someone. Even if that someone was a talking Pokemon.  
"Well, Smoke, Rita, why don't you visit my camp? It's called Rescue Camp, and it's up on Sparkling Hill, north of Light Town. I think you two...would make a good rescue team!" Pidgeot said.  
Smoke's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes!" He turned to Rita. "What do you think?"  
Billions of questions were buzzing through Rita's head. _Rescue Team? Sparkling Hill?_ Luckily, Pidgeot saved her.  
"Now, now. Don't jump to decisions right away. Would you like to visit my camp first?" She asked.  
"Yes!" Smoke replied quickly.  
"Sure..." Rita answered.  
The baby Pidgey got up and walked towards Pidgeot. "So awe we going hum now? I dun like it here."  
Pidgeot smiled and answered yes. She turned towards Smoke and Rita. "Now, get on my back. I'll fly you there!"  
Smoke climbed on Pidgeot's back, while Rita hesitated. Pidgey looked at her and smiled. "It's okay! My first time flying was scawy too! But mommy was there! She's a good fwyer!"  
Rita smiled and climbed on Pidgeot's back. As she took off, Rita felt the wind rush by her. She had never flown before. "Wow it's like we're in outer space!" Rita exclaimed.


	3. Chapter Two: Team Meteor

Pidgeot landed on the pavement. Surrounding them were beautiful bright green trees, and long, tall grass. But, in front of them was a rusted gray fence, chained to huge green building. "Here we are!" Pidgeot said cheerfully.

Rita and Smoke climbed off Pidgeot's back, looking in awe of the giant building in front of them.

"There must be...a lot of rooms," Smoke said.

Pidgeot smiled. "We have a lot of Pokemon that wish to help others. There are a total of 14 teams attending the Rescue Camp."

_I wonder if any of them have any information... _Rita thought. _And if any of them know where Jetson and my other friends are...why can I not remember their names? Why only Jetson's?_

Pidgeot interrupted her thoughts. "C'mon! Let's go in!" Pidgeot plucked one of her feathers and put it into a slot. Soon enough, the chains came undone and they were allowed inside. Smoke went in first, followed by Pidgeot, Pidgey, and then Rita, who was deep in her thoughts.

As they climbed up what seemed to be a stairwell that went on forever, they came into a huge Red and Yellow room, filled with all kinds of different Pokemon. Everyone turned and stared, then their faces lit up at the sight of Pidgeot.

"Your back Lady Pidgeot!" one voice said.

"You've been gone forever!" another said.

Soon, the whole room was filled with chattering Pokemon.

"QUIET!" said a loud, booming voice, "Move!" A large Pokemon pushed it's way through the crowd. "It's nice to see you again, Lady Pidgeot," he said.

"You too, Exploud," Pidgeot replied.

Exploud's expression of anger turned to worriedness. "Where have you been?" he asked, "you've been gone five hours... we thought something happened."

Pidgeot smiled. "Why yes, something did happen, but these two..." she pointed her long golden wing at Smoke and Rita, "saved me, and Pidgey."

All eyes went towards Smoke and Rita. Rita felt nervous. She didn't like being stared at.

Exploud turned to them. "Thank you both," he said.

"No problem!" Smoke replied.

Rita smiled.

Pidgeot looked at all the other Pokemon. "Go back to your duties! I will see to all of you later!" she yelled.

"Yes ma'am!" the crowd roared.

Pidgeot turned back to Exploud. "I was thinking we could have them form a team. We need more rescue teams, nowadays..."

Exploud nodded.

Pidgeot turned to Smoke and Rita. "Now, your decision. We have made you a once in a life time offer. Would you like to form a rescue team? I know it's sudden but-" she was cut off by Smoke.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, "It's my dream to be in a rescue team!" He looked at Rita. "Well?"

_This is my only chance to find out what happened...forming a rescue team could be useful...and...it felt really good, to see Pidgeot's gratitude. _"I'll do it!" she announced, confident.

"Good," Pidgeot chirped, smiling. "Now, you need a team name."

"It'll be _SMOKE IS AWESOME_!" Smoke announced.

"No..." Pidgeot said, "Unlike other places, Exploud and I pick your teamname for you."

"Aww..." Smoke complained.

"It'll be simple. Nothing to hard to remember," Exploud suggested.

_Team Meteor would be cool...to bad we don't get to pick. _Rita thought.

"It'll be Team Meteor," Pidgeot said, smiling. Her sharp eye's drifted towards Rita, as she winked her left eye.

_That must be a coincidence... _Rita thought. She looked at Pidgeot. _Who is she?_

Exploud spoke first, "Now, Team Meteor, let me show you your room. Follow me." He walked towards an elevator as Smoke and Rita followed. Exploud entered the elevator with Smoke and Rita. He pushed a button that said _Floor 22_ and the elevator went up. Rita looked to see if there were any Floors above Floor 22. Nope. Their room was on the highest floor!

They got out of the elevator and walked down a hallway. There were two other rooms on the floor other then theirs. They got to a fairly large room at the end of the hallway. There were a total of three windows, all of them at the back of the room.

"Woah..." Smoke exclaimed, "it's amazing."  
_Yeah it really is...better then my home._  
Exploud spoke. "Now that we are done our introductions, the training begins tomorrow. Get up early, or I'll have to wake you up." With that he left.  
Smoke turned to Rita. "Thanks," he said, "I've never been able to come here on my own. And the Pokemon in the town...all hate me," he sighed, "get to sleep early...tomorrow is our first day as a rescue team. Goodnight..." he layed down on the cotton and fell asleep.  
"Goodnight," Rita said, and she lay down next to him.

Rita woke up to the sound of rain on the window. _Rain...a thunderstorm...is what brought me here._ She got up and looked at Smoke. He was sound asleep. She stepped into the hallway, the floor hard beneath her feet. There was a balcony. _When did that get there?_ She asked herself. She stepped onto the balcony, feeling the rain hit her skin. She looked out at the field. She could see Crystal Beach, but barely.  
"What are you doing outside, this late?" a Pokemon said from behind her.  
Rita turned around and looked at the Pokemon. It was a silver Floatzel. "I'm..." she realized she really didn't know. "I dunno..." she finally said.  
"Don't know, eh?" the Floatzel said, as he studied her. "Your that Delcatty that saved Lady Pidgeot, right?" he asked.  
"Um...yes!" she answered, smiling.  
"You got skill," he said, "why don't you come back inside, if you havent noticed it's kind of raining."  
"Yeah..." she replied, stepping back inside.  
"The name's Jet," he said, making a thumbs up, "what's yours?"  
"I'm Rita," she replied.  
Jet hesitated for a moment, something flashing through his eyes. But then he spoke, "Nice to meet ya Rita. I'm sure we'll be seeing eachother around. You should get to sleep, you have to wake up early, if you didn't know," Jet said.  
"Yes, I know," Rita replied, "goodnight." _But what was he doing out here?_ She turned towards where he was standing to ask him this, but he was gone. _I'll ask him tomorrow. I wonder what his Rescue Team is called. _Thoughts fluttered through her head as she walked back to her room, and layed down on the cotton, careful to not wake Smoke.


	4. Chapter Three: First Day at Rescue Camp

Rita woke to a ringing sound in her ears.  
"GET UP YOU'RE LATE!" it was screaming.  
Rita slowly opened her eyes, to see a purplish figure. It was Exploud.  
"MOVE YOUR LAZY BUTTS!" he screamed, "IT'S TIME TO GET UP!"  
Instantly, Rita sat up. Smoke sat up too.  
"LETS GO! LADY PIDGEOT IS WAITING FOR EVERYONE! AND YOU TWO ARE THE LAST ONES LEFT!" he said, then left.  
Rita looked around. So it wasn't a dream. She looked at her hands, which were now paws. _I'm still a Delcatty..._  
"C'mon Rita, we're late!" Smoke, pointed out, then dashed into the hallway. Rita followed him. They entered the elevator, and pressed the _2nd Floor_ button. Soon the elevator was going down.  
"We are probably in trouble..." Rita said.  
Smoke just shrugged.  
When they reached the second floor they climbed out, to see all the other teams. Rita looked around for Jet, wondering if the silver Floatzel was just her imagination. She soon spotted him in the front with a Vaporeon and a Dewott. He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. Rita smiled back, and then turned her attention to the conversation next to her.  
"Did you hear about the meteorite that fell right next to the store in Light Town yesterday?" an Emolga was asking.  
"Yeah..." a Clefairy replied, "There have been a lot of meteorites falling recently.  
"Do you think it means something?" The Emolga asked.  
"I'm not sure...lets hope not," the Clefairy replied.  
"Well you should know!" Emolga said, "don't you have some sort of connection with space thingamajigs or something?" she asked.  
"Just because I'm a clefairy dosent mean-" she was cut off as Pidgeot started to speak.  
"Now since we have everyone present, let's begin with our pledge!" she said, "I always promise..."  
"Pledge?" Rita whispered to Smoke.  
"I don't know..." Smoke said, "but we should pay attention," he pointed out.  
"Forever we will protect, and keep safe, all Pokemon- good or bad," everyone was saying. Rita tried her best to follow along. The Emolga she was listening to looked over at her and started giggling. Rita tried to ignore it, but when other people laughed, it made her want to laugh too. She started cracking a smile, and soon her and the Emolga were drawing attention. Pokemon turned and started staring at them. When the pledge was finished, Rita and the Emolga were the only ones still making noise. Pidgeot ignored it and dismissed everyone. The Clefairy that was with the Emolga gave Emolga a nasty look.  
"Why were you laughing? The pledge is not something to laugh at," she said.

Emolga looked over at Rita and giggled.  
"She couldn't say it right. It sounded like 'Ima poke protect ham cheese fries protect Pokémon'..." she said, smiling. Then she spoke again, this time to Rita. "What is _ham_?" she asked.  
"Yes, what IS ham?" Exploud also asked, walking over to Emolga, Clefairy, Smoke, and Rita, "I'm pretty sure our pledge does not involve ham."  
Rita looked away, embarrassed. "Uh...I don't know the words to the pledge...so I...tried to follow along," she said, nervously.  
Smoke poked her side. "There's a picture in our room with the pledge on it," he said, smiling.  
"Since it's your first day, I'll let you off with a warning," he said, then turned to Emolga, "since you two already seem to have met, please give Smoke and Rita a tour," he told her.  
"What about me?" Clefairy asked, "Plasma is my teammate, and we were planning on going to a dungeon..." she said.  
"I want you to take the day off. You've been working hard," Exploud told her.  
Clefairy's face lit up as she walked towards the elevator.  
Exploud looked at Plasma, Rita, and Smoke. "Have fun," he said, then walked into a silverish room and shut the door.  
Plasma sighed. "This place is to big for a stupid tour!" she complained, then looked at Rita. "Next time, try looking at the picture on your wall," she giggled. "By the way...I'm Plasma, as you might have heard Moon say my name. Moon the Clefairy, my teammate. So you are Smoke and Rita?"  
"Yep!" Smoke said, while Rita nodded her head.  
"Lets see..." Emolga said, thinking, "there are 22 floors in this building, but we only have to tour 20 of them," she said. "I guess we should get started..." she sighed, "this is gonna take all day... and I have to show you who everyone is, too..." she sighed again. "Lets just start with this floor...it's the main floor, where everything is. Oh! And I should show you the rescue missions table!" she walked across the floor, heading towards a wall with little papers nailed to it. "This is the Rescue Wall. It's where we accept missions, and go into dungeons and stuff," she said.  
_Dungeons?_ Rita asked herself, with a puzzled look on her face.  
Plasma looked at her and laughed. "Don't tell me you don't know about dungeons! Okay...it's kind of difficult to explain..." she went on about dungeons, and how they worked, and how that's where the mission takes place. Then the three toured the rest of the floor two.  
As they were walking towards the elevator, three Pokemon bumped into them. "Watch where you're going!" one of them said. Rita looked at him. He was a Mightyena. He looked back at her and Smoke. "Ah, you must be the new team," he sneered, and then looked at Rita, "you are...Rita," he said, then looked at Smoke. "And you are Smoke," he finished. A beautiful cat-like Pokemon stepped out from behind him.  
"You should try memorizing the pledge...before making up words," she said mockingly.  
Plasma growled. "Why don't you three go bother some other Pokemon?" she asked, annoyed, then turned to Smoke and Rita. "And as part of your tour, we also need to learn about the cowards in this camp. And here are three of them: Team Shade, Mightyena, Golbat, and Night the Liepard," she said.  
Golbat spoke, "Cowards? If anyone are cowards it's you and that stupid partner of yours," he said, "you two never get missions done, and always end up running away, while we only retreat when it's necessary!" finished, angry.  
"Calm your wings, Golbat," Mightyena said, calmly, "don't waste your breath on them. They're not worth it."  
Smoke snorted. "Not worth it? Why are you bothering us anyway?"  
Rita leaned close to Smoke's ear. "Don't get involved," she whispered.  
"They're right," Night said, "let's not waste our time on something so useless," she meowed in a mocking tone.  
As the three of them walked away Golbat shot a glance at Smoke and Rita. "WE are the best around here, so you two..." he looked at Plasma, "and you, better stay out of our way," he said, as they disappeared behind a corner.  
Plasma was quiet for a while. "Idiots. They always think they can push the other teams around," she said. "Anyway, lets continue our tour...I still have to show you the mess hall, the Yard, and the rooms."

.  
Plasma flopped down on her cotton bed. "Ahhhh I'm so tired!" she yelled.  
"Me too..." Rita said, flopping down next to her.  
"I didn't know the Rescue Camp was soooooo big, though I've seen it many times," Smoke said.  
"I think it got BIGGER," Plasma complained.  
Rita and Smoke giggled.  
A voice came from under the cotton.  
"OH. MY. GOSH. PLASMA. YOU ARE SO LOUD!" it said.  
Plasma laughed. "I know Moon, sorry!" She looked at Smoke and Rita. "Do you guys know about the extra button on the elevator?" she asked, looking serious now.  
Rita and Smoke shook their heads. _I thought I heard something like that when I overheard that Chansey's conversation..._ Rita thought to herself.  
"Well, it's rumored that above _Floor 22_ there is another floor, and it's haunted," she said.  
"Plasma, don't be scaring them on their first day!" Moon said, as she sat up.  
Rita suddenly wanted to know more. Ghosts always fascinated her. Apparently, Smoke seemed interested too.  
"So, your saying there's a twenty third floor, and it's haunted?" he asked, sounding a bit spooked.  
"Well, I'm not completely sure. But I wanna find out," Plasma said.  
"And how exactly would you do that?" Moon asked, apparently annoyed that Plasma believed in such things.  
"Apparently there is a hidden button on the elevator, that blends in with the wall paint. I need to find that button, and press it. And if it doesn't work there is no twenty-third floor," she said, feeling smart, but then she spoke again. "But...I don't wanna go alone...so I was wondering if one of you three could come with me to check it out!" she said, cheerily.  
"I'll go!" Rita said, surprised with herself for saying yes.  
"I'll go...too," Smoke also said.  
"You'd all get in trouble!" Moon said, "and I would get in trouble too, because you are my partner!"  
"Fine then, don't come!" Plasma teased, "I guess if it's not there, you won't be there to say _I told you so,"_ she finished.  
Moon paused. "Fine...I'll come...but only to show you that it's just a myth!"  
Plasma smiled. "That's a good Moon! We'll go tonight, while everyone's sleeping," she paused. "And this will also prove to stupid Team Shade that we aren't cowards!"  
"What does Team Shade have to do with this?" Moon asked, suspiciously.  
"Long story..." Plasma replied, "let's get some sleep so we can stay up! I'm so excited!" she said happily.  
Rita was excited too, to her own suprise. _Maybe being a Pokémon isnt all that bad...but I still need information. Pidgeot probably knows something. Or Exploud, or Team Shade...or maybe even Plasma and Moon._ She decided she wanted to tell them who she really was, but first she needed to know something. "Hey..." she said slowly, "does this mean...we're friends?" she asked.  
Moon, Smoke, and Plasma both turned towards her. "Of course!" they all said, happily, smiling. Rita smiled. _Friends..._ she thought. _I never had many friends...I was always the outcast. And the couple friends I did have got lost on the boat. And the others..._ She around at everyone. _...Are right in front of me._  
_._  
_._  
Smoke and Rita left Moon and Plasma's room and returned to their own. Rita realized she forgot to ask if they knew anything about her turning into a Pokémon, but she didn't care. She now had three new friends, and she didn't care if they were Pokémon.


	5. Chapter Four: Floor 23

Rita tried her best to sleep, she just couldn't sleep in the middle of the day. She knew they had dinner later, and maybe eating food would help her sleep. She walked into the hallway. Staying in a hot stuffy room wasn't helping either. Smoke had fallen asleep, why couldn't she? She padded slowly down the hallway, and onto the balcony. For some reason she was drawn to it. The view was breathtaking. The lush green hills...the Pokemon running around...it was gorgeous.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Team Attract," someone said.

Rita jumped and turned around. It was Jet.

"Who's Team Attract?" she asked.

"Oh, they forgot to tell you their team name, eh?" he laughed. "Plasma and Moon. That's Team Attract," he said. "I heard you were gonna search for _Floor 23_. I just wanted to warn you, that you could get in big trouble," he said, walking next to Rita. "And you also got on Team Shade's bad side. I overheard them talking," he said.

"Team Shade is just mean. I can handle them," Rita said.

Jet looked worried. "No, stay away from them. They are trouble. Don't go anywhere near them, even if you are asigned to," he commanded.

"Why shouldn't I?" Rita asked, slightly annoyed Jet was telling her what to do.

"You don't know what they are capable of. Stay away from them. It's bad enough you are on their bad side, you don't need to go any closer to that side of them, okay?" he said.

Rita detected the worry in his voice. "Why do you care anyway?" she asked him.

Jet was quiet for a moment. "...Because...y-you your new here, and you don't need to be making trouble your first few days," he said, stuttering. "I have to go...I'm going on a rescue mission with Dew and Vapor..." he said, "I'll talk to you later, or as they say on the internet, _ttyl," _he laughed and swiftly walked away.

_Strange Pokemon... _Rita thought to herself. Then another thought occured to her. _Do they even have internet in the Pokemon world? _She shrugged the thought off and looked back at the view off the balcony. The sun was starting to set. _It's...so gorgeous. I wish I had a camera. Too bad they probably don't have those here._

A loud bell rang. As from what Plasma told her, that was most likely the Dinner Bell. Rita walked back to her room to wake up Smoke, but he was already up.

"Where were you?" he asked suddely, "I-I got worried..."

"I was just at the balcony," Rita replied.

"Oh? There's a balcony?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Rita said, with a smile on her face, "I'll take you there after dinner," she told him.  
They both climbed in the elevator, both of them looking cautiously at the rows of buttons. Rita then pressed the Floor 3 button. They waited a couple seconds, then the elevator stopped on the 15th floor. Three Pokemon entered the elevator, Mightyena, Golbat, and Night.  
"Haha, look Mightyena, it's our new friends!" Golbat screeched, as they entered the elevator.  
"Golbat, be silent," Night hissed.  
"No, no, Night. Let him be. They are indeed our friends, arent you?" Mightyena asked with a sneer.  
"No. We arent," Smoke said, annoyed.  
Rita remembered Jet's warning, to stay away from them. But she couldn't stay away if they were in the same elevator.  
"No?" Mightyena asked, sarcasticly, "what a shame. I really thought we had a friendship going," he laughed.  
Rita suddenly felt angry. They had no right to tease them. "...Shut up," she said.  
"Oh, so you can speak?" Golbat asked.  
"Oh dear Golbat leave her alone," Night purred as she padded over next to Rita.  
"Taking the enemy's side now, ay Night?" Golbat asked.  
"Why, the enemy? Nah, we are camp mates! And besides," she laughed, "us felines have to stick together!" Night leaned down to Rita. "Pay no attention to Golbat, he is a fool," she said.  
"Fool?" Golbat sounded hurt.  
"You two are constantly fighting, be quiet okay?" Mightyena finally said, as he pushed the _Floor 3_ button. The elevator was quiet, except for hateful stares coming from Golbat, and some mocking stares from Mightyena. Night showed no expression except for glancing at Golbat a couple times. Smoke just looked ticked off.  
_Atleast Night isnt as bad as Mightyena and Golbat...though Golbat is the worst out of the three. They don't seem like a serious threat, so why was Jet so worried?_  
The elevator stopped once more on Floor 7. This time it was a Zangoose and Seviper. As they entered the elevator, they looked cautiously at Team Shade, before making their way towards the back with Rita and Smoke.  
"Ahhh Team Rivalry, it's nice to see you two!" Mightyena said, breaking the silence.  
"Leave us alone, Mightyena," Zangoose said. He turned to Rita and Smoke. "I bet you've been messing with them..." he said.  
"What makes you think that?" Mightyena asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
"Just instinct," Zangoose replied. As the elevator doors shut, it was silent until they all finally reached the third floor.  
Team Shade, Team Rivalry, and Team Meteor all stepped out of the elevator. Rita looked around for Jet, then remembering that he was on a rescue mission. _I hope he's alright._  
She then searched for Moon and Plasma. They were sitting at a table near the back next to a window. Plasma noticed Rita and waved for them to come over.  
"There's Plasma and Moon!" Rita said with a smile, as she turned to where her partner was standing. He wast there. Rita looked around for Smoke, until she saw him argueing with Mightyena. She trotted over to them. It seemed like they were having a stare down now.  
"When I evolve, I'll destroy you," Smoke was saying.  
"You wish, runt," Mightyena replied. It seemed like Liepard was trying to get them to stop, too.  
"Leave him alone, Yen!" she was saying, but he wasnt listening. Venus walked next to Smoke. "Lets go, Smoke. Plasma and Moon are waiting for us over there!" she said.  
Smoke still said nothing. Apparently it was a battle for dominance.  
"Listen," Rita said, "you'll end up getting hurt. And Jet told me to stay away from them..." she said.  
Smoke put his head up. "Jet? Who's Jet?" he asked.  
Mightyena looked at Rita. "You've been speaking with Jet?" he asked.  
Rita nodded.  
"I see..." he trailed off. "Night, Golbat, lets go back to our table," he said, and the three of them walked towards a circular table.  
Smoke turned to Rita and repeated his question. "Who's Jet?"  
"I'll tell you later. Right now he's on a rescue mission...I'll introduce you sometime," she said, "lets go, Plasma and Moon are over there."  
Smoke and Rita both walked towards where Plasma and Moon were sitting. Plasma shot an angry glance at Smoke.  
"Do _not_ upset Mightyena!" she yelled, "he's the leader of the three, and the strongest. Try to stay away from them!" she pleaded.  
_She seems as worried as Jet was...maybe we really should try to stay clear of Team Shade._  
"He needs to be taught a lesson! I'm going to battle him tomorrow...we even agreed to it," Smoke said.  
"_WHAT?" _Moon, Plasma, and Rita asked in unison.  
"Your making a HUGE mistake!" Moon cried.  
"I'm sure I can take him!" Smoke replied.  
"Please Smoke, don't do it!" Rita asked franticaly.  
They're conversation was cut off by the sound of the final bell.  
"We can get in line now," Plasma said, getting up. Moon, Smoke, and Rita got up too, and stood in line waiting for their food.  
When everyone finished eating, Team Attract and Team Meteor got up and walked out, but Rita and Smoke were stopped by Pidgeot and Exploud.  
"Go on ahead," Smoke told Moon and Plasma, as they left.  
Pidgeot looked at Rita and Smoke. "I've been wanting to talk with you two, and especially _you_, Smoke," she said. "It seems you both got into a little trouble with Team Shade. One of the Pokemon reported Smoke's fight with Mightyena," she paused, "how should I say this...um-" She was stopped by Exploud.  
"Team Shade can be very, _very_ nasty. Especially Mightyena," he glanced at Rita, "we advise you listen to Jet and stay clear of them," he glanced at Smoke, "and there will be no fight with Mightyena tomorrow, got that?" he finished, taking a breath.  
Smoke was silent for a moment. "Got it," he eventually said.  
"Good," Pidgeot replied, "and tomorrow, we will send you with an experienced team for your first rescue mission. We usually base the team you go with based on which team you bonded with most, and from the looks of it you two will be going with Team Attract," she said.  
Smoke and Rita's faces lit up.  
"Just don't try anything stupid when your on your rescue mission, got it?" Exploud asked.  
"Got it!" Rita and Smoke replied.  
"Good. Now you are dismissed," Pidgeot crowed.  
Rita and Smoke dashed for the elevator, wanting to tell Plasma and Moon about tomorrow. They entered the elevator, relieved no one was in there. They pressed the Floor 22 button, and felt the elevator going up. They arrived on their home floor, also Team Attract's home floor, and Team Resurrect's home floor, from which they learned in the tour Plasma gave them. Jet's team was on Floor 18, and Pidgeot, Pidgy, and Exploud, also know as Team Golden to other camps and organizations, were on Floor 7 with Team Rilvalry, while Team Shade was on Floor 15 with Team Nyan, they also learned.  
Rita and Smoke walked towards Plasma and Moon's room where they told them about going on a Rescue Mission tommorow.  
"Our first Rescue Mission was interesting..." Moon said, "we went with Team Lightning Bolt, but they graduated."  
Plasma nodded. "Everyone goes to sleep soon, you ready to visit a haunted floor?" she immitated an evil laugh.  
"There are no such things as ghosts!" Moon said, "I'm just gonna be there because I know it's a myth!"  
"Think what you want, Moony, but I'm one hundred percent sure there is a _Floor 23!_" Plasma argued.  
As the two argued over who was right, Rita turned to Smoke. "Smoke, what do you think?" she asked.  
"...Huh? Oh...I'm not sure," he answered, deep in his thoughts.  
"Stop thinking about Mightyena. Don't let him bother you," she said, then remembered something she learned in school about bullies, "he's probably angry with himself for something, or he was teased before, and he feels the need to take it out on others," she said, pleased with herself that she remembered back that far, but then became angry that she couldnt remember her friend's names.  
"Where did you get that from?" Smoke asked.  
"I'm a human, remember? They teach us that stuff," she said.  
"Human?" came Plasma's voice. She had a confused look on her face.  
"You arent a human...your a Delcatty," Moon also seemed confused.  
_Whoops..._  
Smoke came to her rescue, explaining her situation, and how she lost her memory.  
Plasma and Moon were both silent. Then Plasma spoke. "That...IS SO FREAKING COOL!" she screeched, "MY FRIEND'S A HUMAN!" she squeeled again, smiling brightly.  
Smoke and Rita both jumped at her reaction.  
"Well, that's awesome!" Moon said, also seeming happy.  
"Anyway, it's time to investigate~! FLOOR 23 HERE WE COME!" Plasma said in a sing-songy voice.  
_Well, I guess they don't know anything after all. But there are still plenty of Pokemon here to ask...and I'm 90% sure Jet knows something..._ Rita thought.

.  
Rita, Smoke, Plasma, and Moon all entered the elevator. Plasma immediatly went towards the row of buttons and looked them over and over. She gasped.  
"I...I found something!" she said, clearly spooked.  
Everyone came rushing over to where she was. Plasma opened a small compartment which inside there was a small, dusty silver button.  
"Press it!" Smoke said.  
"I-I-I'm getting there!" Plasma stuttered.  
"It p-probably dosent even d-do anything..." Moon said, also sounding spooked.  
Plasma pressed the button. Nothing happened.  
Moon sighed a sigh of relief. "See?" she said, recovering, "nothing happen-" she was cut off as the elevator shot up, the speed making them all drap to the floor. Then, the elevator came to an abrupt stop and opened. Plasma, Moon, Rita, and Smoke's eyes all widened, as the elevator doors revealed a small, old looking, wooden room. Something made them walk into it, and the elevator door shut behind them.  
"O-O-Okay P-Plasma you were r-right. N-Now lets go..." Moon said, freaking out.  
"No! I wanna investigate!" Plasma replied, sounding confident.  
Smoke had a look of horror on his face. "I heard something! We need to leave!"  
"C-Calm down Smoke..." Rita stuttered, "don't you wanna look around?"  
Suddenly, a dark figure appeared in front of Moon. Moon screamed louder then Rita had ever heard anyone scream, even in a horror movie. When she, Smoke, and Plasma also noticed the figure, they all screamed too.  
The four of them ran to the elevator, Plasma jabbing rapidly on the _Down_ button. The elevator still didn't open up. Moon continued screaming.  
"OHMY GOSH OPEN UP OPEN UP OPEN UP!" she cried, then punched the elevator door. "IF ONLY I COULD USE TELEPORT!" she screeched.  
"I HATE MY LIIIIIIFE!" Plasma yelled, as she continued to jab the button.  
The figure moved closer, and whispered something in Rita's ear.  
"_You have a duty here. Don't forget that..."_ it whispered, then disappeared. Rita jumped.  
_What duty?_ She asked herself.  
"We're gonna DIEEEEEEEEEEE!" Moon screamed, then turned to Plasma, "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" she screamed, not noticing that the figure was gone.  
"_MY _FAULT? YOU DIDNT HAVE TO COME!" Plasma screamed back at her.  
As they were fighting, the doors opened, with Jet, Dew, and Vapor, standing in the elevator.  
"Well," Jet said, "this is a suprise."  
Moon catapulted into the elevator and sat on the floor. "THANK YOU!" she screamed.  
Plasma quickly got in, followed by a frozen-in-fear Smoke.  
Rita looked around desperatley for the figure, wanting to know more.  
"Hey!" Jet called, "get in here!"  
Rita spun around to see Jet and his teammates.  
"C'mon Rita you don't wanna get eaten, do ya?" teased Dew.  
_How does he know my name?_ Rita padded into the elevator. "What are you doing here?" she asked the three.  
It was Vapor who answered. "Well we were gonna go to our homefloor to get some sleep, but then the elevator shot up to here. Strange."  
"So, you are the Rita that Jet wouldn't shut up about?" Dew asked.  
Jet's face flushed slightly red. "Shut up, Dewweh," he said, then looked at Rita, Smoke, Moon, and Plasma. "And _why_ exactly are you all here?" he asked.  
"Well..." Moon started, "stupid Plasma wanted to check this place out, and dragged us along," she said.  
Plasma stood up and poited at her. "You lie!"  
"Now, let's not fight," Vapor suggested.  
Plasma relaxed. "Anyway, thank you Team Water Pulse for saving us! We were gonna DIE," she said.  
"I'm not sure about that," Dew pointed out.  
Smoke finally spoke. "So, you are the one that warned Rita to stay away from Team Shade?" he asked Jet.  
"Yes," Jet replied, "and you best stay away from them too," he said.  
"Yes," Vapor agreed.  
"Well...someone needs to teach them a lesson..." Smoke said.  
"Already taken care of!" Dew said joyfully. "Jet here whooped Mightyena's sorry butt!"  
"Well they need to be taught again..." Smoke said.  
"Smoke we aint gonna let you fight him!" Plasma said, seeming annoyed. "You need to get that through your head!"  
"Pidgeot even gave you orders not too, Smoke. Stop thinking about it!" Rita whined.  
"It'd be in your best interest not to," Dew pointed out, "take it from a Silver rank rescue team!" he said proudly.  
"Silver Rank isnt something to be _that_ proud of Dewwy..." Jet said.  
"Well it's better then Bronze, and Normal rank. And after we get Ultra Rank we're outta here! Just two more ranks to go!" Dew replied, winking.  
"Moon fell asleep!" Plasma giggled, "anyone have a marker?" she asked, still giggling.  
"We do not _draw_ on our teammate's faces," Smoke said, pushing Plasma's face.  
Rita realized how tired she was. "We have our first rescue mission tomorrow..." she told Jet, "so we should get some sleep," she finished, yawning.  
"First mission tomorrow, eh? No problem..." he pushed the _Floor 22_ button, and soon they all arrived on Team Meteor and Team Attract's home floor.  
"Wake up Moon!" Plasma yelled softly in Moon's ear, trying to be careful not to wake the other team on this floor.  
"Huh?" Moon looked around, "oh...I can sleep in a bed now," she said and got out of the elevator.  
Plasma, Rita, and Smoke got out too.  
"Gracias, Team Water Pulse," Plasma said, bowing, "sleep well!" she said, before heading to her room which was right across from the elevator.  
"Thanks," Rita and Smoke both said to the three of them.  
"Eh, no prob!" Vapor said, smiling.  
"It was nice meeting the newest team in this camp," Dew chirped.  
"Sleep well, and good luck in your mission tomorrow," Jet said, "don't worry, we wont tell Lady Pidgeot or Exploud about what you four did," he said, before the elevator doors closed.  
Smoke and Rita stood there in silence for a while until Smoke finally spoke.  
"You promised you would show me the view of the balcony, remember?" he asked.  
Rita smiled. "Of course!"  
Rita and Smoke both walked on to the balcony. They stood there in silence, looking at the beautiful stars.  
_Who knew being a Pokemon could be so fun... Smoke is a great partner, Jet, Vapor, and Dew are all very nice, Pidgeot and Exploud are great camp leaders, even if Exploud is a little rough. Moon is enjoyable, and fun to be around, and Plasma is hilarious. I still really need to find out what made me a Pokemon...but I can put that off for now. Right now I'm a member of Team Meteor, and other Pokemon need me. I can put my self needs aside for the time being._ She looked at the sky. One star was shining more bright then all the others. _That star...will eventually be Team Meteor._ Rita thought.

.  
A Vulpix padded through the night, along with a Chansey and Munna.  
"We finally found the treasure!" the Vulpix squeeled.  
"We really are Team Luck!" the Munna said loudly.  
"Keep your voices down, Flower and Vicky!" the Chansey said.  
"Oh Chance, lighten up!" Victoria said, "even a human like me is excited about this find!" the Vulpix named Victoria said.


	6. Chapter Five: Weedle's Cry For Help

Rita and Smoke were woken up early by Exploud, but this time he didn't scream in their ears.

"Get up," he kept saying, "we have a rescue mission for you."

Rita groaned. She was extremely tired from last night, and Smoke was too.

"You two better get up, or we'll give it to someone else!" Exploud threatened.  
Rita and Smoke instantly sat up. Rita rubbed her eyes and looked at Exploud. Plasma and Moon were standing behind him, also looking tired from last night.  
"You two are worse then Plasma!" Exploud complained.  
"Hey!" Plasma whined.  
Rita got up and stretched. "Sorrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyy" she said, yawning. Smoke got up and stretched too, yawning loudly.  
"Let's go outside now, and I'll give you your mission," Exploud told them.  
"Mmm kay," Smoke replied, still very exhausted.  
"FINALLY!" Plasma yelled in happiness, "it's been _centuries _since we've been outside! It gets real hot in here!" she whined.  
When the four Pokemon arrived outside it was somewhat chilly.  
"I wanna go back inside! It's cold!" Plasma complained.  
"Too bad," Exploud said, "and it's even colder where your going. Your going to a place called Frozen Cliff. Heard of it?" he asked.  
"Yeah..." Smoke said, "it's a small icy cave on the side of a cliff, right?" he asked.  
"Correct," Exploud replied, "many years ago, it used to be a steaming hot cave, but a Pokemon called Froslass took refuge there during a vigorous heat wave, and she froze the cave so she could live there. Some say she's still there...but freezes anyone who comes near her, for she trusts no one," he finished.  
"Well then lets hope we don't meet her..." Moon said.  
"Here," Exploud said, handing Rita a rolled up white paper, "it's your mission. Read it."  
It said:

_Dear Rescue Teams!_

My name is Weedle, and I've been trapped here for a week. The only thing I can hope for is that my crys for help reach somebody.

I don't know what to do! Pokemon keep attacking me for no reason, and it hurts! My poison moves don't seem to be doing anything to the grass types, even though it should be super effective! And the ice types are to strong. I don't know what's goig on! They keep coming at me, and I'm to weak. If I was a Kakuna I could probably defend myself, but I cant! I bet my father Beedrill is deeply worried about me! So, rescue teams, hear my plea! Come save me! I like rhyming, but I can't rhyme if I die. So, please hear my cry!

_-Weedle (P.S, I'm at the bottom of Frozen Cliff)_

"Poor Weedle..." Moon said.

"Yes..." Exploud agreed, "latley, Pokemon have been getting aggressive, and moves that would normally work arent working, and meteorites fall out of no where, creating much chaos and destruction among the Pokemon living in those areas. Because of that, this is why so many Pokemon are suffering, and we need more rescue teams then ever before," he said.

"How sad," Moon replied.

_Yes...very sad...and what about what that figure said to me...my duty? What is my duty? Could it be to protect the Pokemon...? _Rita asked herself.

"Okay, so how do we get there?" Smoke asked, breaking her thoughts.

"Easy," Exploud replied, "we will have you teleported." As he said that Dew came outside, along with another Pokemon.

"Howdy!" Dew greeted them, smiling.

The other Pokemon looked nervous.

"Is he coming too?" Rita asked Exploud.

"Sort of," Exploud replied, and pointed to the Pokemon with Dew, "this is Flower, the Munna. She will be teleporting you to and from Frozen Cliff. She will be waiting outside the entrance, and Dew will be with her for protection, and incase something happens, and they hear you screaming, they can come get you and teleport you out," Exploud finished.

"Sounds confusing..." Plasma said, with a puzzled look on her face, "but whatever." She looked at Rita and Smoke, "You guys wont get introuble because you have _us_ with you!" she made a peace sign, "we are experienced!"

"Experienced in failing..." Dew muttered.

"What was that?" Plasma asked acusingly, making a fist and putting it in front of his face.

"N-Nothing," Dew replied, waving his hands back and forth.

"I think we should get going..." Flower said.

"Your probably right," Dew replied, "farewell, Explode!" he said, chuckling.

Moon, Plasma, Rita, and Smoke all gathered around Flower and Dew as she teleported them to Frozen Cliff. As soon as they got there a cold chill went down Rita's spine.

"DANG IT'S COLD!" Plasma complained.

"Well look at the bright side," Dew started, "it'll probably be even _colder _inside!" he said, smiling innocently.

Plasma narrowed her eyes. "How is that a _bright _side?"

Dew laughed, while Rita peered inside.

"I guess I probably won't be affected much, being a fire type," Smoke said, then looked at Plasma, "but she'll have a terrible time with the ice types, being an electric _and _flying type," he said.

Plasma, overhearing them, replied, "you dare doubt my skill?" she asked, "I'll charm them all with a dazzling attract," she closed her eyes, imagining it, "then finish it off with a blinding discharge!" she spun around, still in her fantasy. "And besides," she continued, "Exploud said moves that should work havent been working, and so I'm figuring that moves that shouldnt work, will work!" she concluded.

"Huh, smart observation," Moon replied.

"So that means I'll have to be careful in there..." Smoke said, looking disappointed.

"Yes," Dew said, "do be careful, we dont want ya dead!" he said jokingly, then his face turned serious, "and, if you do see Froslass, drop everything and run. If she freezes you, she will probably take you away to be frozen forever. And if she dosent, it's very difficult latley to unfreeze things. A Pokemon got frozen a few weeks ago...we are still trying to unfreeze him, so be careful, and good luck," he said. Dew then turned to Rita, "and you, better be careful also, because if you get hurt, Jetty would be pretty angry with me for not protecting you!" he said, chuckling.

"We will be..." Rita said, looking into the cave.

"Shout for me if there is any problem," Flower told them.

"We will!" Plasma promised, and then she entered the cave, followed by Rita, Smoke, and Moon.

Flower turned to Dew. "What will we do if Froslass finds _us?" _she asked.

"You will go into the cave and find them, and I will hold her off," he replied, "got that?"

Flower nodded.

.

.

The icy cave was more of a challenge then she expected. It was icy, and everyone was sliding everywhere, except for Plasma.

"Plasma you know what? Your a cheater. You should come down here and slip like the rest of us!" Moon complained, jealous that Plasma could fly.

"I'm not cheating, I was born an Emolga, and I always will be an Emolga!" Plasma said, giggling, "It's your own fault that you arent an Emolga!"

"No it's my parents' faults'!" Moon replied.

"Can you two not fight for _five minutes_?" Smoke asked, clearly annoyed by their constant arguing over the stupidest things.

"It's her fault!" Moon yelled.

"You lie!" Plasma replied, defending herself.

"_Shut up!" _Smoke yelled.

"No, Smoke, you shut up!" Rita said, "yelling could make icicles fall, and it could attract angry Pokemon. So far we havent seen any, and I don't want to!" she pointed out.

"Yeah, Smoke, mind your own buisness," Plasma said turning her head away, "you disgust me."

"_EXCUSE ME?" _Smoke asked, angry. The cave shook, as three icicles fell from the roof of the cave. Plasma flew out of the way, Smoke used ember to burn it, but the third one hit Rita's leg.

"Ow!" she howled in pain, "see what fighting does? It hurts people! Shame on you three!"

"A-Are you alright?" Smoke asked, alarmed.

Moon and Plasma exchanged worried glances.

"Yes, Smoke, I just have a huge icicle sticking out of my leg," she replied sarcasticly, as she pulled it out. _Ouch... _

She looked at Smoke, Moon, and Plasma's worried faces. _Friends...they care._ "I'm fine," she said, limping, "lets keep going."

After a while of slipping and sliding, and not seeing any Pokemon, Team Attract and Team Meteor eventually came to a large icy slope.

Plasma stopped flying. "I'm sliding down that!" she said, as she jumped down towards it.

Moon grabbed her arm. "No! It's dangerous, lets go down together," she said, smiling.

Plasma smiled brightly, as they both went down the icy slope. "WEEEEEEE!" they cheered in unison.

Rita looked at Smoke. "Lets go!" she said smiling.

"Yeah," Smoke agreed, as they went down the slope together.

The icy air stung as it hit Rita's skin, and she got butterflies as she slid down the slope. This was the most fun she'd had in years. She wished this would last forever, but forever eventually came to an end, and the slid to the bottom of the slope.

_That was amazing!_

Rita looked around and realized they had reached the bottom of the cave. It was so...quiet. The silence was broken as a group of Snover popped out from behind the piles of snow.

"Leave!" the biggest one said, "this is our territory!" His eyes were all black.

_Something's wrong..._

The group of six Snover attacked them.

Before she knew it, Rita was facing off with the leader.

"My fire moves arent working!" she heard Smoke say.

"Hang on!" she heard Plasma reply, then a few seconds later she heard two Snover run away. "Why do my flying attacks work?" Plasma asked.

The lead Snover jumped at Rita. Rita still didn't understand all her moves. She used attract, hoping it would work. Soon the Snover stopped and kept staring at Rita.

"I hate to hurt my admirers..." she used a blazing thunderbolt, "but you arent my type!"

Snover fell down. Rita was pleased with her strength.

She looked around to see Moon being losing.

_Since moves that don't usually work are working..._

She fired a blizzard at the Snover attacking Moon. It got thrown against the icy wall, and then it fled up the icy slope. Moon turned around. "T-T-Thanks!" she said.

"No problem!" she turned her attention to Plasma and Smoke, both fighting side by side. They each were fighting a Snover. Suddenly, Snover also unleashed a Blizzard. Smoke got thrown back, and tried to get up, but couldnt.

Rita ran over to him. "Are you okay?" she asked, frantic.  
"Yeah...I'm fine..." he replied, atteptiing to get up.  
Plasma used airslash, defeating another Snover, while Moon defeated the Snover that attacked Smoke.  
Rita looked around, searching for Weedle. Suddenly, she heard a tiny voice.  
"Over here!" it squeaked, as a small bug like Pokemon came from behind a dark, icy rock. "You came to rescue me, right?" it asked.  
"Are you Weedle?" Plasma asked.  
The Bug Pokemon nodded.  
"Then yes!" Rita said, with a smile.  
Weedle's face lit up. "So someone did get my letter! I'm so happy!" he squeaked, as he ran over to Rita.  
Rita smiled. "Now we have to get out of here..." she said, trailing off.

.  
"They're taking _forever_!" Dew complained.  
"Maybe they got into trouble..." Flower said quietly.  
"We would've heard them if they screamed loud enough," Dew pointed out, "and besides, it would take a little bit to go through the whole cave," he said.  
_Your the one who complained they were taking forever in the first place..._ Flower thought to herself, sighing.  
An icy wind blew by them. Flower shivered.  
"I'm gonna be frozen solid if I have to stay here any longer!" Dew whined, looking at the sky.  
"No you wont..." Flower started, looking at him. He had a terrified look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked, startled.  
"Go inside the cave... and find them," he said, then turned towards her. "It's Froslass. Run!" he yelled at her, as he pushed her in the cave.  
"What about you?" she asked, terrified.  
"Like I said before, I'll hold her off, and you find the others," he turned towards her and winked, "I'll be fine! Now go!"  
Flower charged inside the cave, as Froslass swiftly down to where Dew was standing.  
Dew took off his Scalchop. "Let's see what you got," he said under his cold breath, smirking.

.  
Rita slowly climbed up the slippery slope, while Plasma was already at the top with Weedle.  
"C'mon! You guys are a bunch of Slowpokes!" she taunted.  
"Well it's unfair that you can fly!" Moon yelled back, as she slipped and fell to the bottom again.  
"Moon your hopeless!" she said as she flew down to help her partner, "and HEAVY!" she complained  
"Hey!" Moon whined, then she turned her head towards up the slope.  
"Something wrong?" Smoke asked, tilting his head.  
"I thought I heard...someone...maybe it was just my imagination..." she paused, "there it is again!" she said, startled.  
"I hear it too..." Rita said. _It sounds like...Flower!_  
"It's getting closer!" Moon said, her eyes widening.  
"I hear it now," Smoke said, "it sounds like Flower! There must be something wrong, but I cant make out what it's saying..." he said.  
"I can hear...she's yelling help!" Moon said.  
Plasma then dragged Moon up the icy slope, while Rita finished her climb, and Smoke followed behind her. Flower then came charging towards them, a terrified look on her face. "Froslass is here! We need to get out!" she looked around franticaly, "Dew is holding her off so we can get out...but I'm worried something might happen!" she looked at Weedle on Plasma's back, who was shaking from the cold. "I see you found Weedle...but we need to get Dew and leave!" she finished.  
"F-F-Froslass is h-here?" Smoke looked terrified also.  
"Yes! That's what I just said! We need to go, I'll teleport us to the front entrance!" Flower replied.  
Everyone gathered around Flower, and a purple, blinding light filled the cave as the six Pokemon were teleported to the front entrance.  
Rita looked around. Froslass was no where to be seen. Neither was Dew.  
"They're both gone!" Moon cried.  
"Oh no! We need to find them!" Flower quickly looked around, about to run off, but then Plasma stopped her.  
"Judging by the looks of things, there was a battle, but it didnt last long..." Smoke pointed out, breathing in the frosty air.  
"Froslass probably froze Dew and took him away..." Plasma said, shivering from the cold, "the best thing we can do is go back to the camp to report what happened, and Lady Pidgeot can send rescue teams out to find him," she paused, "we wont be helping by staying here," she finished.  
"She's right, Flower," Rita said, upset that Dew had been kidnapped. He was Jet's teammate, and they couldnt come in time to save him. "Why don't you teleport us back so we can explain things to Pidgeot and Exploud," she said.  
"A-All right..." Flower agreed, stuttering from the cold. Once again, the group surrounded Flower, and a purple light flashed, as they teleported back to the Rescue Camp.  
As they six arrived, Exploud was there waiting for them. As, he spotted them, he smiled, and then looked at Weedle.  
"Good job!" he cheered, as he walked up to them. He surveyed them, then a confused expression appeared on his face. "Where's Dew?" he asked.  
Flower looked away, ashamed she couldn't help the sea otter Pokemon when he needed it.  
Moon spoke, and explained the whole story, not leaving out a single detail.  
"Well, then we have to send out rescue teams right away," Exploud said, with a worried expression on his face.  
"Hey, Flower!" called a voice.  
Flower looked around and waved. Two Pokemon came charging towards her, as they tackled her in a hug.  
"How was the mission?" a Vulpix asked excitedly.  
Flower looked down, not wanting to tell her teammate what happened. The Vulpix looked confused. The other Pokemon, a Chansey, looked sympathetic.  
"You can tell us when your ready," she said soothingly. Flower smiled slightly.  
The Vulpix surveyed Rita. "Have I met you somewhere before?" she asked, questioningly.  
Rita looked at her. _She looks...familiar._ She thought to herself. "I don't think so...I just recently joined," she said.  
"So did we! We were the newest until you and your flaming friend joined," she said, then looked at Plasma and Moon. "Were you guys on a mission too?"  
"Yep..." Plasma and Moon both replied, still upset about Dew.  
The Vulpix looked back at Rita and Smoke. "So what are your names? I've memorized everyone...except for you two," she said.  
"I'm Smoke..." Smoke said.  
"I'm Rita," Rita replied.  
The Vulpix hesitated, her eyes widening, then they went back to normal size. "That name sounds very familiar..." she said, looking Rita in the eyes. "I'm Veronica, but you can call me Vicky," she said.  
_Veronica? Yes... that was one of my friend's names... she was on the boat too...could this... be the same Veronica? _She looked her over again. _Veronica's a human though... did she turn into a Pokemon too? _  
"Something wrong?" Veronica asked, cutting off her thoughts.  
"N-Nothing. Just a familiar name, that's all," Rita replied. _I'll have to keep an eye on her..._  
Plasma and Moon both looked very confused.  
"I hate to interupt this, but we have to report the incident with Dew to Lady Pidgeot," Exploud interupted.  
"Dew? What happened to him?" the Chansey asked.  
"Froslass happened..." Smoke answered.  
The Chansey gasped.

As they all walked inside, and up the many flights of stairs, they finally came to the second floor, where Exploud reported the incident, but also that the mission was a sucess.  
Veronica, Flower, and the Chansey, which they found out who's name is Chance, all headed up to their home floor, while Weedle, still with Plasma, Moon, Smoke, and Rita sat down at a table near the back of _Floor Two. _  
Even though she didn't show it, Rita's leg was still bothering her from when the icicle fell on it. _It might get infected... _she thought in alarm.  
"What a shame..." Plasma said, finally breaking the silence, "Jet and Vapor'll be really upset when they learn about what happened..." she said.  
"Be upset when we hear about what?" someone said from behind them.  
All four of them turned their heads to see Jet and Vapor.  
"Yes, about what?" Jet asked, repeating Vapor.  
Vapor looked around. "Where's Dew? We havent seen him since he left to go with you guys," she said, looking worried.  
"Froslass took him," Plasma said quickly, wanting to get it out of the way.  
Jet and Vapor's eyes both widened. "What?" they asked in unison.  
There was a silence.  
"Why would Froslass take Dewwy?" Jet asked.  
"We don't know..." Smoke started, "it's what we think, and we're pretty sure she did. She probably froze him...and took him somewhere to be frozen forever," he finished.  
Jet and Vapor were silent.  
"But..." Plasma started, breaking the silence once again, "the mission was a success!" she said, with a fake smile.  
No one said anything. Rita looked at Vapor, and then Jet. "Pidgeot is gonna send out a bunch of rescue teams to look for him, so they'll find him!" she said, trying to cheer everyone up.  
Vapor smiled slightly.  
"So I guess we'll have to do our rescue missions without Dewwy for a while, eh?" Jet asked, slightly grinning.  
"I have a feeling Lady Pidgeot will have us be searching for him the whole time," Vapor said.  
"We'll be searching too," Smoke decided, "if he hadnt stayed to fight, then Froslass would probably have come in the cave and taken all of us. The least we can do is join the search parties," he finished.  
"Yes," Plasma and Moon both agreed.  
"Of course," Rita also agreed.  
Jet and Vapor smiled.  
_My leg is killing me... _Rita winced in pain.  
Plasma noticed her wince. "Rita, is your leg bothering you?" she asked, looking upset.  
_Good people...always seem to know. Even if you don't say anything. That's what a friend is. _"It's fine," she finally said.  
"Leg? What happened to your leg?" Jet asked, seeming worried.  
"Nothing important," Rita replied.  
Jet opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off as a Prinplup walked over to them.  
"Lady Pidgeot would like me to tell Team Meteor and Team Attract that they will be joining the search party tomorrow," he said, then turned to Vapor and Jet, "and she would like to speak with you two about your progress," he finished, then walked away.  
"Uh... okay," Vapor replied to him, and walked towards the silverish door.  
Jet looked at the Smoke, Moon, Plasma, and Rita. "You'd four...better be careful tomorrow," he warned, then looked at Rita and Smoke, "you two especially, since you've only been to one dungeon, and that was today," he glanced at Rita, something flashing through his eyes, then followed Vapor towards the silverish door, where Pidgeot and Exploud were.  
Three other Pokemon then walked towards Rita's table.  
"So how was your first mission?" Golbat sneered, "we heard you lost Dew, how sad," he said in a mocking tone.  
Smoke glared at Mightyena, then Mightyena spoke. "I've been told by Lady Pidgeot that I'll be kicked out if I pick a fight with a new team, so I cant fight you," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice.  
"You'd lose anyway!" Smoke said, narrowing his eyes.  
"You wanna bet, shorty?" Mightyena sneered, anger flashing in his eyes.  
Night looked annoyed. "Boys..." she sighed.  
_Why are they always bothering us? _Rita asked. "Cant you go bother someone else?" she asked out loud, by mistake.  
"So the cat speaks, finally?" Golbat mocked.  
"Go away!" Plasma yelled at them standing on the table, "we've had enough of you...especially _you _Golbat!"  
Golbat looked suprised by her sudden outbreak.  
"Plasma sit down!" Moon scolded.  
"Listen to your partner, squirrel girl," Golbat replied.  
Plasma seemed very angry now. Rita watched in suprise as she unleashed a powerful Discharge that hit Golbat, causing him fall to the ground. All the Pokemon that were on the floor now turned and stared. Plasma then folded her arms across her chest, and turned away. "That's what cowards get," she said, smirking.  
Mightyena and Night were both frozen in shock, but then they picked up Golbat and quickly carried him away. Everyone was still staring at Plasma. She looked at Rita, Moon, and Smoke. "Let's go upstairs...I dont like the wierd looks I get down here," she finished, as the group headed towards the elevator.

.


	7. Chapter Six: The Search for Dew Part 1

"Okay, teams. Where do you think Froslass would've gone with Dew?" Pidgeot was asking the rescue teams. She had called a meeting the first thing in the morning, and had requested that all the teams come down.

"Probably a place like Ice Mountain, or Snow Valley," one Pokemon said.

"Okay," she started, "I'll have teams investigate those two places. Any other suggestions?"

Everyone was quiet.

"The teams I'd like to investigate Ice Mountain are: Team Star, Team Shade, Team Nyan," she took a breath.

"I hope we're together!" Plasma whispered to Rita.

"Yeah..." Rita agreed. The thought of going on a mission without Team Attract seemed weird.

Pidgeot continued, "Team Z, Team Attract." As Plasma and Moon heard their team's name they cheered. Rita then waited for Team Meteor to be called.

"Team Luck," Rita heard Victoria give a cheer.

"And Team Resurrect," Pidgeot finished.

Rita's heart sank. _Atleast I have Smoke,_ she thought.

"You all are the teams that will be investigating Ice Mountain. Please wait on the left side of this room," Pidgeot commanded.

"It looks like we aren't together after all," Moon said, with a sad expression on her face.

"You guys be careful, alright?" Smoke told them.

"Of _course _we'll be careful!" Plasma told him, "we are _Team Attract_! The best of the best!" she spun around and posed, "no one can resist our charm!" she winked.

Rita laughed. She was upset she wouldn't be there to help if they got in trouble. _They'll have other teams with them... so they'll be fine. _Rita reassured herself. _But if anything _did_ happen..._

"Good luck," she finally said, highfiving Plasma and Moon both, "and don't let Team Shade get to you," she cast a glance at the three. Golbat and Mightyena seemed to be arguing, with Night trying to get them to stop.

"We wont!" Plasma said cheerfully, as her and Moon made their way towards the crowd of Pokemon going to Ice Mountain.

Pidgeot started to speak again. "I want the following teams to investigate Snow Valley," she started, "Team Shadow Cloud, Team Jewel, Team Rilvalry, Team Water Pulse," she paused to breathe again.

Rita glanced at Jet and Vapor, who were listening intensely to Pidgeot.

"Team Meteor," as Rita heard her team's name she jumped. "Team Rose, and Team Claw," she said finally, "I want those teams to go to the right side of the room," she finished.

"What about us?" two Pokemon asked.

"I want you two to stay here and guard the camp and watch over Pidgey while the rest of us are gone," Pidgeot explained.

The two Pokemon still looked upset, but they nodded.

Rita and Smoke walked to the right side of the room. Rita looked back at Moon and Plasma. _I hope they'll be alright..._ she thought to herself.

"Don't worry, Rita! They'll be fine!" said a Pokemon.

Rita turned around to see Pidgeot.

"Don't worry yourself. They're tougher then they look," she said, smiling.

"Thanks," Rita replied, smiling back at her. "Which dungeon are you going to?" Rita asked.

"Exploud and I are going to Ice Mountain," she replied.

"Oh," Rita said. _I wish someone I'm familiar with was coming with us..._

"You have Team Water Pulse," Pidgeot said, "your friends with them, arent you?" she asked.

How did Pidgeot know what she was thinking? "Yes," she replied, feeling relieved that Jet would be there. She then looked at Pidgeot. _Who is she? How much does she know? _

Pidgeot smiled. "I'm just the camp leader. I know more thank you think," she said. "Attention teams!" she was now speaking to everyone. "I would like the Snow Valley search party to head down to Snow Valley. The ones directing your search party are Vapor and Jet. They have the map, and you are to listen to everything they say," she finished, and then said, "thank you," as she walked back to her search party.

.

.

"How long is it gonna take to get there?" Smoke asked Rita.

"I don't know..." she replied. They had been walking for about an hour, and they still weren't anywhere near the valley. Rita wondered if Plasma and Moon's search party had arrived yet.

"How long will we be searching?" Smoke asked.

"Probably a few days, until someone finds something..." Rita answered.

Smoke didn't say anything else.

Rita realized she did want to know how long it would take. She glanced at Jet. He probably knew. She made her towards the front of the search party.

"Hey," she said.

He turned his head. "Hey there, what do you need?" he asked.

"How long is it gonna take to get to Snow Valley, do you think?" Rita asked.

"About a day...we'll probably get there tomorrow. We're gonna stop soon, it's getting dark, and it'll start to get cold," he glanced ahead of him. "Did you bring anything to keep warm?" he asked.

"Well, I have Smoke," she giggled.

He smiled, then looked ahead of him. "Honestly, I don't think you should be here," he said.

Rita looked confused. "What do you mean?"

He looked away. "I think it was a mistake that Pidgeot sent you with us. Snow Valley is pretty dangerous...and your a new team and not very experienced..."

"We can still fight," she argued.

He looked back at her. "You don't know that much, and you aren't as strong as you think!" he yelled, "don't take it the wrong way, I like having you with me, but I'd hate myself if you got hurt!" he finished, fear in his eyes. He looked away, calming down. Before Rita had a chance to say anything, Vapor spoke, addressing the whole search party.

"We're stopping here for the night," she called, "help gather firewood for the fire." she said.

The teams broke off into the forest in search of firewood. Smoke padded up to Rita. "Lets go!" he told her.

"O-Okay," Rita replied, as she walked towards the woods, casting one last look aver her shoulder at Jet, catching his eye. He quickly looked away and walked into the forest. Vapor looked at the both of them trying to figure out what was going on, but had no luck.

"What was that about?" Smoke asked Rita when she walked towards him.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself about," she said quickly. "Lets go look for firewood," she said, turning towards a tree. She felt Smoke grab her paw, stopping her.

"Your my partner," he said, sympathy in his eyes, "I'm gonna worry."

Rita told him what Jet had said, leaving out the part about him hating himself if they got hurt.

"Well, it makes sense," Smoke started, "we are a new team, so he has a right to worry," he said.

"But we aren't _that _weak," Rita complained. She wished Plasma was there to defend her with one of her jokes. _I didn't realize I'd miss them this much. I wonder if they miss us?_ She wondered.

"But we're still new," Smoke argued, as he picked up a block of wood. "Let's collect more wood, keep your mind off things," he suggested.  
"Sure..." Rita agreed.

.  
When everyone got back, and there was enough wood for the fire to last for a night, everyone fell asleep. Everyone except for Rita. She couldn't sleep, and kept tossing and turning. Eventually, she got up and walked into the woods. _It's dangerous here...I shouldn't be out at night. _She kept telling herself, but she kept walking. After about an hour of walking, Rita pushed her way through the bushes, to discover a beautiful, sparkling lake.  
_Wow..._  
A ghostly figure appeared over the lake. It looked like it had two tails, but Rita couldn't see it properly. It then vanished. All the sudden, Rita's mind felt at ease. She sat down on the soft, fluffy grass, and she soon fell asleep, not realizing how far she had traveled away from the search party.

.  
Vapor put her head up, yawning. It looked like she was the first one up. She stood up, stretching her front legs. She peered over at Jet, who was still sound asleep. She then looked at the sky. the moon was as round as a beach ball. It was a full moon. The sun still wasn't up. _Judging from the amount of light...I'd say it's about three thirty a.m. _She thought to herself. She padded around the campsite, looking at each team. She then padded up to Smoke, who was also sound asleep. She giggled. "How adorable," she said quietly. She then looked over to where Rita was sleeping. She wasn't there. _Probably sleeping somewhere else? _She asked herself. She walked softly around the campsite. Everyone was as fast asleep, and she still didn't see Rita. _Could she have wandered into the woods?_  
Vapor padded silently into the deep forest. It would be easy to get lost in there. Everything was dark, and the small Vaporeon couldn't see very well. She tripped over a root, and fell on her face.  
"Ow..." she muttered. _Why am I out here anyway? Surely Rita wouldn't travel this far...? _Her thoughts were cut off as she pushed her way through the bushes, and came to a blue glistening lake.  
_Wow..._  
The moon reflected on the water, and it looked like it was moving as ripples were sent through the water by baby Magikarp.  
Vapor then noticed a figure by the water. It looked like it was sleeping. Vapor cautiously approached the figure. As she got closer she quickly recognized it. It was Rita.  
_What is she doing out here...? _  
Vapor looked at her more closely. "Hey," she whispered, "get up." She knew she didn't need to whisper, but at night you just felt like you had to whisper, even if no one would hear you. She prodded Rita's side with her paw. "I said get up!" she said in a louder whisper. Rita poked her head up, blinking. She jumped.  
Vapor giggled. "It's me!" she said.  
Relief went across Rita's face. "Oh," she replied, sounding half asleep.  
"What are you doing out here?" Vapor finally asked.  
Rita looked like she was thinking. "I...couldn't sleep," she replied, still sounding tired. "What are you doing?" she asked Vapor.  
"Looking for you," Vapor replied, smiling. "It took a while to find you. I imagine that a couple Pokemon are already up, and they're looking for us," Vapor said.  
_And I also imagine Smoke and Jet will be angry with us..._  
Rita turned her head to the lake. "It's so peaceful here though..." she said.  
"Yes, but we need to go back," Vapor argued, "we are both part of the search party, and Dew needs us to search!" she said.  
"So, the search party needs me?" Rita asked.  
"Of course!" Vapor replied, smiling. "Why do you think Pidgeot sent you?" she asked.  
"Jet said that he thought Smoke and I shouldn't have been sent..." Rita replied, still staring at the scene of the lake.  
Vapor chuckled. "Jet's just worried about you guys. He's hard to figure out," Vapor replied, grinning.  
"Are all Pokemon like that way?" Rita asked, looking at Vapor.  
"I'm pretty sure alot are that way," she replied, laughing.  
Rita smiled. "We should get going now," she said.  
_Well...that was semi-easy... _Vapor thought to herself. "Lets go then," she said, and the two headed back towards the campsite.

.  
As Rita and Vapor reached the end of the forest where the campsite was, Jet was standing there, his arms folded across his chest, while Smoke was next to him, with an angry look on his face.  
Jet was the first to speak. "Everyone has been looking _everywhere _for you two!" he said angerily, "where have you been?" he demanded.  
"Walking, talking," Vapor replied calmly.  
"Talking about what?" Jet asked, still angry.  
"Girl talk. Stuff _you _wouldn't understand," Vapor said, giggling.  
Jet sighed. "Whatever. Just don't leave again without telling someone. We thought something bad happened to you two..."  
"Where did you guys go, anyway?" Smoke asked.  
"We went-" as Rita started to speak, Vapor slapped her tail across her mouth. "We went somewhere," she said. "Well, we should get moving, we still need to get to Snow Valley."

.  
The search party arrived at a big, snowy cliff. An icy wind blew through the air as Vapor turned to the search party. "Now we climb down!" she declared.  
All the Pokemon slowly climbed down the steep, frozen cliff. Smoke was further down then Rita, who moved slowly, in fear of falling.  
Rita continued to slowly make her way down the cliff. _This would be less frightening if we had equipment! _She thought, gritting her teeth from the cold. _Don't look down... _she told herself. _Don't look down. _The urge to look down beat her. She quickly looked down, and wished she hadn't. _Screw you, Rita! Why'd you look down? _She asked herself. As she moved her right paw to the next rock, the rock she was holding on to with her left one gave way from Rita's weight. Before she knew it, she was plunging towards the valley.  
She screamed. _I'm gonna die... I'm gonna die... I'm gonna d- _She stopped as someone grabbed her paw. She looked up to see Jet clinging to the cliff side.  
"Can't climb very well, can you?" he asked, his face slightly turning red.  
"I couldn't climb for my life..." Rita replied.  
"Well I just saved your life, so be grateful," he said.  
"Rita!" a voice called, "are you alright?" Rita looked farther up to see Smoke, his face filled with fright.  
"Yeah, I'm fine!" she called back. She looked around. All the other Pokemon were staring at them. Rita's face turned red. She didn't like being stared at.  
"Grab on to the cliff," Jet told her, "I can't carry you down. You weigh more than you look," he grinned.  
"Gee..." Rita replied, as she grabbed onto the ice cold cliff, "thanks.".  
It took all the courage Rita had to climb the rest of the way down. As her feet touched the ground she flopped on the snow. "Oh, great ground I'll never leave you again!" she cried.  
Smoke chuckled. "Rita...you scared me," he said, "if Jet hadn't caught you I don't know what I would've done." He looked at her. "Try to be more careful," he said, shivering.  
"I'll..." she coughed, "try, but no promises!" Rita said, smiling. She touched her frozen face, trying to keep it warm, but her paws were frozen too. _At this rate I'll get frostbite..._  
"Now we search Snow Valley!" Vapor was speaking, "there are many caves, and underground tunnels, so be sure to search everywhere!" she announced.  
"Now, split up, and check _everywhere_," Jet told them, "and if you run into trouble, get out as fast as you can," he finished. Him and Vapor then walked into a small icy cave.  
Smoke turned to Rita. "Now it's just us two, where should we search first?" he asked.  
_I wish Plasma and Moon were here..._  
"I don't know..." she replied, _looking_ around, then spotted a small opening in on a ledge on the cliff, "lets go there!" she said, pointing to it with her tail.  
"Uh, okay," Smoke replied.  
As Rita and Smoke climbed on to the ledge, Rita looked inside the cave. _It's so dark... I wish I knew flash!_  
Smoke sniffed the air, then shivered. "It's quiet..." he said, then walked into the darkness of the cave.  
"Wait up!" Rita yelled, then padded into the cave. _I cant see anything... _She bumped into something cold.  
"_Snrrrrrr_" it growled.  
Then, Rita felt something cold hit her face, as she was thrown back against the freezing wall of the cave.  
"Rita?" Smoke called, from a distance.  
"Here..." she called, standing up. She saw a small orange light coming towards her. _Smoke lights up the cave..._  
"Are you...okay?" he asked, looking around.  
"Yeah... we just gotta be careful...it's really dark," Rita replied.  
"Alright," Smoke replied, "I'll light the way!"

.  
Vapor tripped over a sharp rock, then landed on her face. _Owwwwww!_  
Jet looked over at her. "Try walking with your legs, not your face," he said sarcastically.  
"Shut up!" Vapor replied, standing up.  
Jet looked ahead of him. "Looks like we searched the whole cave, and found nothing but ice and rock," he sighed.  
"There are still other places to look," Vapor narrowed her eyes at him, "and Froslass might not even be in Snow Valley," she said.  
"I know," Jet replied, grinning. "Let's go back...we're done here."  
Jet and Vapor arrived outside the cave, snowy winds blowing against their faces. There was only one other team that had come back.  
Vapor and Jet walked up to them, shivering from the cold.  
"Any luck?" Vapor asked a Roselia.  
"No...but it's weird in there, our grass type attacks, "she pointed to her team, "seem to be reallly effective on the ice type Pokemon...and their ice type attacks don't seem to effect us," she paused, "it's strange."  
"That's been happening lately..." Jet pointed out, "Officer Noctowl thinks it's because of all the recent meteorites that have been falling," he said.  
"But we didn't see any meteorites..." a Cherubi said, "just ice, ice, and oh..." she paused, "more ice."  
"Well then there are other places then the place you just searched," Jet said, "  
"How exciting," Vapor replied, a dull expression on her face. "Maybe the other teams will have more luck than we did," she sighed.

.  
As Rita and Smoke reached the end of the icy cave which seemed to go on forever, they stopped and looked around. _Smoke's light isn't enough to see everything. _Rita complained to herself.  
"Ow!" she heard Smoke cry.  
"What is it?" she asked him.  
"I hit my foot on something hard!" he complained, then used flamethrower in front of him. "It's a rock...with holes in it..haha" he said.  
Rita looked over to where he was, and glanced at the rock. _It's a meteor! That's what Exploud was talking about... _"It's not a rock, it's a meteor!" Rita said.  
"Same thing!" Smoke yelled, then looked back at it, "since we didn't find anything, why don't we take this back with us? It could be helpful in research about why everything is so out of order," he suggested.  
"Uh, I guess..." Rita replied.  
"Okay...help me carry it!" Smoke told her, trying to lift up the meteor with his front paws.  
Rita helped him carry it, by using her tail, which was suprisigly strong.  
"This is gonna take a while..." Smoke sighed.  
By the time Smoke and Rita got out of the small icy cave, everyone was already waiting for them. All the teams turned and stared at the giant rock they were carrying. Jet and Vapor walked over to them.  
"Why did you bring _that_?" Vapor asked.  
"We thought maybe it could be useful...you know for research and stuff," Smoke replied, then he colapsed from the weight.  
Jet chuckled. "Let me help ya with that," he said, as he picked up the meteorite. "This thing _is _heavy..." he huffed. "I don't think we could carry this all the way back home," he told them, "we should leave it here...and if we did take it the Pokemon living in this area might miss it," he said, then looked them both over. "Your both covered in scratches! What happened?" he asked.  
"It's dark in there..." Smoke started.  
"And we couldn't see very well..." Rita finished for him, then looked at Jet and Vapor. "And your one to talk," she said, giggling.  
"Did you two find anything?" Vapor asked, not giving Jet a chance to reply.  
Rita and Smoke both shook their heads.  
"Well, that's great," Jet sighed. "No one found anything. I guess we should head back..." he said sadly, then added, "poor Dew..."  
"There's still the search party at Icy Mountain!" Rita told them, trying to cheer them up, "maybe they found something!" she said, smiling.  
Jet sadly smiled back at her, while Vapor replied, "yeah."  
"So are we leaving soon then?" Smoke asked, wanting to get out of the cold weather.  
"Yeah," Vapor replied, shivering again, "let's go."  
.


	8. Chapter Seven: The Search For Dew Part 2

A strong wind hit Plasma's face, as she shivered from the cold. She and Moon had climbed a long way up the steep mountain, known as Icy Mountain, in search of a Pokemon called Froslass, who had apparently captured a Pokemon called Dew, a Dewott, froze him, and took him to an icy area. There had been no sign of anyone yet, ever since the search party split up to look for Froslass, and there had been no sign of any wild Pokemon. There was only freezing cold snow.  
Plasma sat down. "I'm _tired_!" she moaned.  
Moon stopped and looked behind her. "Well, it's partly our fault Dew was taken, so it's our job to look for him!" she said.  
Plasma felt a stronger wind hit her face. "It's _freezing, _and we havent spotted anything, let alone another search party member!" she sighed, her breath white. _I wonder if Rita and Smoke found anything interesting... all that's here is a bunch of snow. _Plasma sneezed as a snowflake hit her nose.  
"Well we have to _try_!" Moon argued, "all we've ever done is leave, because of your laziness! That's why we're still normal rank! We've been here quite a while, and our rank hasn't gone up once!" she yelled, "sometimes you really drive me nuts! And sometimes I wish I had been Jigglypuff's partner, instead of yours!" she yelled.  
Plasma knew she didn't mean to say those things, it was just the cold getting to her, making her angry. But the thought of the round pink Pokemon made her angry. She had tried to take Plasma's position as Moon's partner, a while back. But, Plasma had saved Moon from near death of falling down a waterfall, earning her trust, and enabling Plasma to be her partner instead of Jigglypuff's. Plasma hated to think about the pink balloon Pokemon, even though she was Moon's partner now.  
"Well, then why don't you go find Jigglypuff?" Plasma asked, angry, "I'm pretty sure she'd _love _to come and freeze on an ice cold mountain with you!" she yelled.  
Moon was quiet, before saying, "we should keep going."  
Plasma nodded, not wanting to fight with her best friend anymore. As she got up to start their search again, a voice came from behind her.  
"Look who it is! It's my dear friends Plasma and Moon!" it said.  
Plasma whipped around, recognizing the voice. _Golbat... what a bother..._  
"What do you want?" she asked, annoyed, then looked around for Night and Mightyena, "where's the rest of your team?"  
His face then turned sad. "I've been searching for _hours _for someone from our search party," he said, "me and Night were fighting, and then suddenly the ledge we were standing on broke, and Night and Mightyena fell down the mountain somewhere. I'm sure their okay, since they probably landed in the snow..." he said.  
Moon looked at him. "So then you want to come with us?" she asked.  
"Yes..." he said, looking away, "Pidgeot told us we aren't to go alone...though I've been alone for a while," he paused, "don't think that I _want _to come with you! I just don't have any other choice! Your the first team I've seen for THREE. HOURS. I don't think I'd see another one for a while," he yelled.  
"Calm down," Plasma said, waving her hand, "we'll let you come with us," she said.  
Golbat's eyes lit up. "Really!" he asked.  
"Yes, of course," Moon said, giggling.  
"But on _one _condition," Plasma stated.  
"What's that?" Golbat asked.  
"When we get back to Rescue Camp, you have to be a little nicer to us and Team Meteor," Moon said.  
"Just a little?" Golbat laughed, "deal!" he paused. "But, just wondering, why wouldn't you want us to stop picking on you for good?" he asked, confused.  
Moon laughed.  
"Because it would be awkward if you _didn't _mess with us!" Plasma said, grinning, her fight with Moon now forgotten.  
Golbat looked confused, but shook it off. "As we're looking for Dew, could we also look for my team?" he asked.  
"Well, duh," Plasma said, with a puzzled look on her face, "you don't want to be seen with us by other teams, do you?"  
"Of course not!" Golbat yelled.  
"Well then yes, we'll look," Moon said.  
As Moon trekked through the snow, Plasma and Golbat were both flying above her. She looked up at them, a jealous look on her face.  
"Now there are _two _cheaters with me!" she complained, "one was enough!"  
Plasma chuckled.  
Golbat looked at Plasma. "Cheaters?" he asked questioningly.  
Moon spoke. "Yes, cheaters!" she said, "you two get to fly while I have to walk in this freezing cold snow!" she crossed her arms.  
"Well it's your own fault you don't have wings, runt!" Golbat said mockingly.  
"No, it's your fault for having wings!" Moon argued.  
Plasma sighed. This was gonna be a _long _search.

•  
"Keep your chin up, girls!" Victoria told her team, Team Luck, as they marched through the snow, except for Flower, who could float.  
"Do you even know where we are?" Flower asked Victoria.  
"Nope!" Victoria replied, feeling confident.  
"Great..." Flower moaned. She was the one who wanted to find Dew most, it also partly being her fault for him getting taken, since she was there when it happened.  
They then came across footprints.  
"Pokemon have been here~!" Chance, a Chansey, said.  
Victoria looked down at them, then sniffed them. "It's Moon and Plasma from Team Attract!" she declared, then sniffed the air, "and Golbat, from Team Shade!"  
"Why just Golbat?" Flower asked, "what about Mightyena and Night?"  
"It seems they weren't with him," Victoria said, looking around.  
"Why do you think so?" Chance asked Victoria.  
Victoria shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe he got lost and needed to go with Team Attract," she said.  
"Vicky your the one with the nose, you should know!" Chance told her.  
"My nose cant detect words said!" Victoria argued, "but I'm glad you give it much credit!" she grinned.  
_If only when I was a human, I had a nose like this! _She wished to herself. _Everyone would bow to me! _She smiled evilly, imagining her fantasy.  
Flower's voice then killed it. "What's _that _look for, Vicky?" she asked.  
Victoria glared at her, angry for making her lose her fantasy. "_Dream Killer..._" she muttered.  
"Huh?" Flower asked.  
Victoria jumped. "N-Nothing!" she said, smiling innocently.  
Chance looked ahead. "It looks like the footprints lead this way..." she observed, "maybe we could surprise Team Attract, and Golbat, if he really is with them," she said, giggling at the thought.  
Victoria spoke. "_Or, _even better, we could jump in with the entrance we've been rehearsing for catching criminals!" she suggested.  
"Yeah!" Chance and Flower shouted in unison.  
Victoria giggled, as the three Pokemon ran up the slope.

•  
Another two hours had passed, and Moon and Golbat were still arguing. Plasma tried her best to shut out their incredibly annoying voices, but it wasn't working. She finally whipped around at them.  
"SHUT UP!" she screamed at them, "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"  
Moon and Golbat stopped, and both were silent. They exchanged a puzzled look, then looked back at Plasma.  
"You two..." she took a breath, "have been arguing for over TWO HOURS!" she took another breath, and looked at Golbat. "Do you and Night fight like this?" she asked.  
Golbat chuckled. "Sometimes..."  
"Chill out, Plasma," Moon smiled.  
Plasma started to calm down. _Atleast they stopped... _she thought to herself.  
As she thought that someone shouted her team's name from higher up on the mountain. She looked up, but couldn't quite make out who it was. There were three of them though.  
One Pokemon jumped down, doing a flip as she landed. She was pink...a chansey! Her back was turned as she spoke, her arms folded across her chest.  
"The beautiful pink nurse! The incredible healer! The chance of seeing my kind is slim to none!" she shouted, then turned around, pointing at Plasma, Moon, and Golbat. "With the power to heal, I am Chance!"  
_Chance?_  
A second Pokemon floated down, back turned to the three of them. She was a Munna. "Cute and pink! Face completely kawaii! No one can match the cuteness of me!" she chanted, then turned around. "With the power to teleport, I am Flower!" Flower yelled.  
Plasma then realized what they were doing. _Oh dear... _she thought.  
The third Pokemon then jumped down, spinning in the air. She was a Vulpix. "The bursting flame that soars higher than the stars!" she made a flying motion with her paw, as she turned around. "I am Vicky!" she shouted. "And we..."  
"Are Team Luck!" all three of them shouted.  
Golbat, Moon and Plasma were silent, a drop of sweat going down each of their heads.  
An awkward silence passed through the air.  
Victoria spoke first. "Whadya think?" she asked excitedly.  
"It was... different," Moon said.  
"I liked it!" Plasma cheered, clapping.  
Golbat didn't say anything.  
"Hey, Golbat, where's your team?" Flower asked.  
Golbat sighed. "Long story," he said dully, not wanting to be seen with Team Attract.  
"So what are you guys doing? Stalking us?" Moon asked Team Luck.  
"We just thought we'd...drop in," Chance said, giggling at the pun.  
"And Vicky got us lost..." Flower added.  
"Eh? Come now, I'm the one who led us to their footprints!" Victoria argued.  
"But we wouldn't have had to find their footprints if you didn't get us lost!" Chance said, "silly humans...do they all get lost?"  
_Human? Is Vicky a human too? _Plasma asked herself.  
"Of course not you stereotypical brat! Don't just assume things!" Victoria replied.  
"Wait a minute..." Plasma cut in, "you...your a human?" she asked.  
She heard Victoria mutter "whoops..." then she explained things. "Yes, I'm a human. A few weeks ago, these two," she pointed at Flower and Chance, "found me knocked unconscious on Crystal Beach..." that was all she said.  
"Are you possibly...looking for your human friends?" Moon asked her.  
Golbat was silent, listening.  
Victoria looked surprise. "Yeah! How did you know?" she asked excitedly, "are you a human?"  
"...No..." Moon replied.  
"But Rita is," Plasma told Victoria.  
"I knew it! I knew I recognized her name!" Victoria said excitedly. "Rita was my best friend..." she said, trailing off. "But when the five of us-" she was cut off as Moon spoke.  
"Five?" she asked.  
"Yes...five. Now shut up and let me tell my story!" she snapped.  
Moon was silent.  
_I love stories... and I cant wait to tell Rita! _  
"Rita, me, and three others...arghhh why cant I remember their names?" she slapped her head, "anyway, we were in Rita's boat... trying to stop something..." she smacked her head again. "I cant remember anything..." she sighed sadly. "Anyways, a huge storm suddenly came in. Someone yelled at Rita to stop the boat, but she refused, wanting to stop whatever we were chasing after, when lightning hit the boat, sending us all into the ocean. And before I knew it, I was opening my eyes to see Flower and Chance standing over me." she finished.  
_That's exactly what Rita described, except it was Smoke standing over her... _  
"So, you and Rita are both humans?" Golbat asked, finally speaking.  
Plasma jumped at his voice. She had forgotten he was there.  
"Yep!" Victoria answered.  
Golbat nodded his head.  
Plasma growled. _"_And, for letting you come with us, you are not to tell Mightyena or Night, kay?" she commanded.  
"Fine, I wont," he lied.  
"Okay good!" Plasma said, then turned towards the mountain. "We should keep climbing up!" she said.  
The others nodded their heads in agreement_. _  
As they headed up the mountain, and finally reached the top, Plasma gazed out at the view. The sun was setting behind a snow covered hill, and everything was white.  
_It's so pretty! _  
"Woahhhhh!" she heard Victoria exclaim.  
"How gorgeous!" Flower squeaked.  
"Everything is so white!" Moon exclaimed.  
"No duh!" Plasma replied, laughing.  
"I wonder what would happen if you fell from this height..." Chance asked.  
"You'd die," Golbat replied bluntly.  
Plasma poked Golbat's face. "You need to change your attitude," she replied, narrowing her eyes.  
"Meh..." he replied, not meeting her gaze.  
"We didn't find anything that leads to Dew and Froslass..." Flower siddenly realized.  
"No, but there are other teams searching, and there's still the search party in Snow Valley!" Plasma told her, trying to cheer her up.  
"Your right..." Flower said, trying to smile.  
"Should we head down then...?" Moon asked, "it'll be easier going down."  
"Yes!" Victoria said, "let us venture down the mountain!" She took off into a run down the mountain.  
"WAIT UP!" Chance called out to her, as she started running too.  
"Don't leave me behind!" Flower whined, as she floated quickly down the mountain with them.  
"We never found my team," Golbat complained.  
"Oh be patient when we get down the mountain we'll find them!" Plasma told him.  
"Whatever," Golbat replied, sounding annoyed.

•  
As Team Attract and Golbat got down the mountain, they were greeded by Team Luck.  
"You guys are ssssslllllloooooowwwww!" Victoria teased.  
"You guys are to fast!" Moon whined.  
As she said this, Mightyena and Night walked over to them.  
"Golbat!" Night yelled, quickening her pace, "we were looking for you! You ditched us!" she said in a teasing voice.  
"I see you went with _them,_" Mightyena pointed out.  
"Well you guys fell and I couldn't tell where you went!" Golbat complained, "and Pidgeot said we cant be alone... then I found these two and went with them..." he said.  
"Come here for a minute," Mightyena oredered.  
Golbat went over to Mightyena, as Mightyena whispered something to Golbat.  
Golbat nodded his head. "Later," he said.  
Plasma glared at them. _What were they talking about...?_  
"Well, thanks for taking care of Golbat!" Night said, "he needs a babysitter sometimes," she laughed.  
"HEY!" Golbat yelled.  
Mightyena sighed. "You both need babysitters..." he said, and with that they all walked away, Night and Golbat still fighting.  
The Search Party then left, after Pidgeot announced nobody found anything, and that they needed to head back. Everyone walked back slowly and sadly.

•  
A couple days later, after everyone had returned back to Rescue Camp, Pidgeot told everyone to go inside, wanting to announce the progress.  
Rita looked around for Plasma and Moon, wanting to talk to them and ask how they did. She didn't see them anywhere.  
"RIIIITTTAAAAA! SSSMMMOOOKKKKEEEE!" someone called, as she as recgonized Plasma's voice. As she turned around, a great force knocked her over in a hug. She looked up to see Plasma.  
"WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Plasma yelled in her face. Rita hugged her back. _So they missed us too? _  
Plasma then got off her and tackled Smoke in a hug. Smoke laughed, and hugged her back. "It's nice to see you!" he exclaimed, then looked around. "Where's Moon?" he asked.  
"She's coming," Plasma replied, getting up.  
Soon enough, Moon appeared, and walked over to them, giving them each a hug. "We have so much to tell you two!" she exclaimed.  
"We have nothing to tell you! We didn't find anything about Dew!" Rita sighed.  
"Yes..." Smoke agreed, "but Rita almost died."  
Plasma and Moon lookeed at her in horror. "_WHAT?_" they asked.  
"I slipped while we were climbing down the cliff...but no worries! I'm okay!" Rita said with a smile.  
"Yeah, Jet saved her," Smoke said, chuckling.  
Plasma narrowed her eyes, smirking. "Is that so?" she asked, in a teasing tone. "How adorable!" she said, clapping her hands together.  
Rita felt her face turn hot. "He would've done it for anyone!" she argued.  
Moon giggled. "True, but it's still cute!" she squeaked.  
_I couldn't be with Jet anyway. He's a Pokemon, and I'm a human... they probably know that. They're just teasing... _Rita told herself.  
"Anyway," Plasma started, "we didn't find anything about Dew either, but we did find out some information you could find useful in your search for your human friends!" she said, sounding excited. "It turns out Victoria is-" she couldn't finish her sentence, because Pidgeot started to speak.  
"Teams! I ask for your attention!" she called, as everyone turned to look at her.  
"We'll tell you later," Plasma whispered to Rita, then turned her attention towards Pidgeot.  
"I called you all hear to bring you sad news..." she paused, "we had no luck in the search for Dew," she sighed. The crowd let out a sigh, also.  
"HOWEVER!" it was Exploud speaking this time, "that dosent mean we are giving up the search! As you go on your rescue missions, please try to look for any clues that might lead to where Dew is," he told the teams.  
"And Exploud and I will also be searching in other icy areas that we dont want you entering," the shiny Pidgeot explained, then raised her left wing, "you are dismissed," she finished.

•  
"How sad..." Moon said. The two teams had gone upstairs to Plasma and Moon's room "Lady Pidgeot seems really upset, and I know Vapor and Jet are probably even sadder," she said quietly.  
"Yes..." Plasma and Rita agreed.  
"We'll find him though!" Smoke said, sounding confident, "there's no doubt in my mind something will turn up!" he said, smiling.  
_Smoke seems confident... _  
"Anyway," Plasma started, "we need to tell you something!" she said, trying to hurry.  
"Okay, what is it?" Smoke asked.  
"You know Victoria? The Vulpix on Team Luck?" she asked Rita and Smoke.  
"Well she's a human too," Moon said.  
"And she says Rita was her friend," Plasma finished.

•  
Jet was woken up from the sound of rain hitting his window. _Another storm...? _He asked himself.  
His stomach grumbled. He hadn't had anything to eat. He slowly got up, careful not to wake Vapor, who was mumbling in her sleep.  
_I'll just quickly grab something... _He told himself.  
He pressed the _Down _button on the elevator, and when the doors opened stepped in, feeling the heat from the elevator on his face. He pressed the _Floor 3 _button, and felt the elevator go down. When the doors opened, the silver Floatzel stepped out. He looked in the direction of the cafeteria, and noticed a small light was on.  
_Why is there a light on? _He asked himself, then walked towards it.  
As Jet entered the cafeteria, he heard faint voices coming from the kitchen.  
_That sounds like Golbat and Mightyena..._  
He quietly walked into the kitchen, ducking behind the refridgerator. He listened as Mightyena spoke.  
"So what happened while you were with Team Attract?" Mightyena was asking.  
_Team Attract are Rita's friends..._  
"Well...Moon was being annoying... calling me and Plasma cheaters just because we could fly!" he complained.  
"We don't care about that!" Night hissed, "did you find out anything good?" she asked.  
"Well...it turns out Victoria and Rita are both humans," Golbat said.  
Night and Mightyena jumped. "_HUMANS?" _they both asked, surprised.  
_RITA IS A HUMAN? And that Vulpix too? _Jet quickly forgot about his growling stomach.  
_So I was right about Rita... she really is the Rita I knew. And Vicky... She was here and I didn't suspect a thing! Now all I need is to find out where the other two are... _He smacked the side of his head.  
_Agh! I can't remember their names... _He turned his head towards Team Shade, realizing he had missed a lot of the conversation.  
"So that's what we'll do!" Mightyena was saying.  
"Isn't that a bit... harsh?" Night asked.  
"Not if we want to get what we want," Golbat argued, slightly feeling bad he had broken his promise to Plasma.  
A terrified feeling filled up inside of Jet. _Do what? Are they planning to hurt Rita? _He asked himself. _I need to think... if only Dewwy was here..._  
He slowly and quietly creped out of the kitchen. As he stalked through the cafeteria, he hit a chair, causing the chair to scrape against the floor.  
"What was that?" he heard Night ask loudly, then saw her move towards the door to the cafeteria.  
Jet cursed under his breath, and then quickly ran out of the cafeteria and into the elevator, hoping Night didn't spot him, and if she did, wouldn't tell Mightyena or Golbat. She was the nicer one out of the three, after all.  
_So Rita and Vicky are both humans... should I tell them who I am? _He asked himself. _...No... _He decided._ That would ruin everything... _  
As the elevator arrived on _Floor 18, _Jet slowly got out, not wanting anyone to hear him. He silently creeped into his room careful not to wake Vapor. He got under the cotton, and made himself comfortable. Then he realized that he never got anything to eat.


	9. Chapter 8: Back to The Normal Routine

Rita awoke to a loud voice violating her eardrums.  
"WAKE UP!" it screamed. Rita recognized the voice as Exploud's.  
_Not again..._  
"You two ALWAYS sleep in LATE!" Exploud shouted, "it's time to GET UP!" he screamed, then walked out, satisfied.  
Rita sat up, followed by Smoke.  
"Why does everything have to start so _early?" _he complained.  
"I dunno... but we better get up..." Rita sighed, then for the first time remembered to look at the picture with the pledge on it.  
_We haven't been through the normal routine since the first day... _Rita thought to herself.  
As Rita and Smoke went down the elevator, it stopped on _Floor 18_. Vapor and Jet entered the elevator.  
Vapor smiled at Rita and Smoke. "Jet would _not _wake up this morning..." she sighed, laughing.  
"I couldn't fall asleep... that's all" he lied, and looked at Rita.  
Rita noticed him staring at her. "Something wrong?" she asked.  
Jet turned his head away, his face red. "Nothing," he said.  
"When do you think we'll find Dew?" Smoke asked them, as Vapor pushed the _Floor 2 _button.  
"We don't know..." she said, with a sad look on her face, "but today Lady Pidgeot and Exploud are going to search for him, and they'll be gone for about a week," she said.  
"A week?" Rita asked, surprised. Rita couldn't wait that long. She needed to know what the shiny Pidgeot knew. She glanced at Jet and Vapor. _Do they know something...? And I need to talk to Vicky anyway... _As the thought of her old friend entered her mind, she became excited. The last time she had seen Victoria had been when she got back from her first mission, but then she hadn't realized the small Pokemon was her old best friend. The last time they properly had a conversation was on the boat, right before the storm. Rita smiled again.  
"What are you so happy about?" Jet asked, interrupting her thoughts.  
"Oh?" Rita jumped, "nothing," she replied. _I wonder if I should tell him and Vapor that I'm a human... _  
The elevator stopped on the second floor, and the doors opened up. The four Pokemon stepped out, to see they were just finishing the pledge. Everyone turned and looked at them. Rita spotted Plasma and Moon, who were giggling at them. She then looked for Victoria, and had no luck. _Where is she? _She asked herself.  
"Since you four took so long, we decided to proceed without you," Exploud said angrily.  
"We're sorry, sir!" Vapor and Jet both said in unison, dipping their heads.  
"Jet wouldn't wake up..." Vapor said, narrowing her eyes at him.  
Jet glared at her.  
"Well, while we were gone we were gonna put you two in charge, since you've been here the longest" Exploud started, "but it seems you wont be able to get up early enough, so instead, we'll put Team Shade in charge."  
_Oh no... _Rita thought, with a sad expression on her face. She knew Smoke, Vapor, and Jet were thinking the same thing.  
Mightyena spoke. "Thank you sir, thank you Lady Pidgeot," he dipped his head, and glanced at Smoke, smirking.  
"You are welcome," Pidgeot replied. "Well, now we'll be off. Do not give Team Shade any trouble," she looked pleadingly at the crowd, "because they will let us know," she finished, as she headed towards the stairs, followed by Exploud. She then turned to back to the teams. "And also, Rita and Smoke, I'd like you two to take care of Pidgey," she said, as she smiled at Pidgey, and then walked down the stairs.  
Pidgey looked up at Rita and Smoke.  
_Well... I havent seen Pidgey for a while._  
Team Shade moved to the front of the room. "Well," Mightyena growled, "don't give us trouble! We'll be in charge for a week," he smirked at the crowd, "you are dismissed." The teams looked frightened as they walked to their normal stations.  
"Hey! Jet!" Mightyena barked, "we'd like to talk to you," he said. Jet started to walk over, Vapor following him. Mightyena glared at Vapor. "_Alone," _he growled.  
Vapor jumped, then walked backwards towards Rita and Smoke. Jet looked frightened.  
_What happened...? _Rita asked herself.  
Plasma and Moon bounced over to Rita and Smoke.  
"Victoria's team is on a mission, so you cant talk to her right now," Moon told Rita.  
Vapor stepped in, wanting to be a part of the conversation. "Why do you need to talk to her?" she asked.  
"Oh..." Rita didn't want Vapor to know who she was just yet, "she's just a friend..." Rita answered.  
"Really? I haven't seen you two talk much," Vapor said, suspiciously.  
_What do I say?_  
Smoke saved her. "Really?" he asked, faking surprise, "they talk _all _the time! You haven't noticed?" he asked.  
Rita shot a grateful look at Smoke.  
"If you say so!" Vapor said, smiling, then she paused. "Hey, Rita, have you seen Light Town yet?"  
Rita was still confused about Light Town. "No, why?" she asked.  
"Well," she looked at the two teams, "I could give you a tour! Jet seems to be busy with Team Shade over there," she said, grinning.  
Smoke spoke first. "N-No, I'll pass," he stuttered.  
"Huh? Why?" Vapor looked confused.  
"I have a bad history with Light Town... the shop owners don't really like me," he said, looking away.  
"Aw, what'd you do?" Vapor asked.  
"N-Nothing important," Smoke lied.  
"Okay..." she pointed to the stairs, "It'll be a girl's trip! Let's go!" Vapor said, skipping towards the stairs.  
"Bye..." Smoke said, as the four Pokemon left.

•  
Rita walked up a lush Green hill. Eventually, Crystal Beach came into her view.  
_That's where I met Smoke... _She thought, reliving her memories. A light breeze went across the field.  
_It's so relaxing here... _Rita thought, gently shutting her eyes. The smell of the ocean drifted towards her.  
"C'mon, Rita!" she heard Vapor call.  
Rita opened her eyes to see Vapor, Moon, and Plasma already on the beach.  
"Coming!" she called, and dashed towards Vapor and the others, the wind blowing against her face.  
"What were you doing?" Plasma chuckled.  
"I dunno..." Rita replied, laughing. She suddenly felt happy, despite Dew being taken, and Team Shade being in charge for a week.  
"Well we'll never get to Light Town if you just stand there like an idiot!" Moon complained, giggling.  
"I'm sorry if I wanted to enjoy the scenery!" Rita replied.  
"Don't fight, or we'll never be able to show Rita Light town! I need supplies anyway, Jet ad I ran lost ours while we were looking for Dew!" Vapor said eagerly. "Now lets go!" She dashed along a wide path to right of Crystal Beach, followed by Moon and Plasma, who was gracefully gliding through the air.  
Rita took one last look at the beach, and then ran to catch up to the three. When she finially caught up with them, they were waiting for her next to a big rock wall. Rita coughed. "You guys run fast!" she complained.  
"No, _you _walk slow!" Plasma laughed. "This is Light Town," she then said, pointing to the large rock wall.  
Rita was quiet before saying, "huh?"  
Plasma and Moon both laughed.  
"The rock isn't Light Town," Vapor giggled, then brought up her paw on an indent in the huge rock wall.  
There was a _click! _noise, and then the rock split in two, opening two huge rock doors.  
"WOAH!" Rita gasped, as the rock doors opened, revealing a beautiful, bright town. There was a huge fountain in the middle of the town, surrounded by small shops.  
Vapor giggled. "Isn't it great?"  
"Yeah..." Rita replied, awestruck.  
"Now, lets go to the Kecleon brother's shop!" Vapor cheered, as she skipped towards a small shop.  
Rita followed her, wondering what that was.  
Vapor was already at the small stand.  
"Hello there~!" two Kecleon's greeted her. One was purple.  
"Hi! I need some Oran Berries..." Vapor said, then looked around, "but it looks like I forgot my money..." she sighed, then turned to Rita, Plasma, and Moon. "Looks like we cant buy anything!" she laughed.  
The purple Kecleon spoke first. "No, no! Anything for the gorgeous Vapor!" he said, as he pulled out ten Oran Berries. "Here, here!" he cheered.  
"Oh!" Vapor gasped, taking the Oran Berries, "thank you!"  
As the Pokemon walked away Vapor turned towards Rita. "Good looks come with free food!" she winked.  
Rita, Plasma, and Moon laughed.

•  
After a few hours passed, the four Pokemon headed back towards Crystal Beach.  
"Wanna stay here a while?" Vapor asked the three of them.  
"Yeah!" Moon and Plasma said in unison.  
_I could do some investigating... _Rita thought to herself. "Yes..." she finally said.  
Vapor charged into the water, while Plasma glided over the ocean. Moon walked along the shoreline.  
Rita slowly walked over to where Smoke had found her, searching for clues to how she got there. Her indent was still in the sand. _How strange..._  
There was a loud _BAM _in the distance.  
"What was that?" Moon asked, jumping.  
"Sounds like thunder..." Vapor said.  
Lightning streaked across the sky, then rain poured down.  
"WOAH!" Plasma gasped, covering her head, then smiled. "I think it might be raining!" she chuckled.  
"_Really?" _Moon asked, also covering her head, "I hadn't noticed!"  
"We should find shelter!" Rita yelled, above the rain.  
"I like the rain!" Vapor called, prancing around.  
_So do I... _Rita looked up at the gray sky, squinting her eyes. Lightning flashed across the sky again. _But it's dangerous..._  
Vapor seemed to notice this too. "Okay..." she sighed, "lets find shelter."  
The four Pokemon ran underneath a palm tree next to the beach.  
"What if the waves get big?" Moon asked, frightened.  
"Well, we can all swim, right?" Vapor giggled.  
"No!" Moon yelled at her.  
Vapor laughed, as a a loud booming thunder made them all jump.  
"Should we go to the camp now?" Plasma asked, shaking. "I hate thunder..." she muttered to herself.  
"Oh?" Moon smirked, hearing what Plasma said. "Have I found your weakness?" she asked giggling.  
Plasma batted her on the head. "No! I'm not afraid of no thunder!" she yelled at Moon.  
Moon laughed. "Let's stay here!" she declared.  
"Whaaaaa? !" Plasma cried.  
"Chill out you two!" Rita said.  
"It's not like we have any choice but to stay anyway. We might get struck by lightning!" Vapor pointed out.  
"Well it's more safe back at the camp!" Plasma complained. "Lightning could strike the tree!"  
As she said that, a flash of lightning fell from the sky striking the palm tree beside them. It crashed down with a huge _THUD, _sending sand into the air.  
"See what I mean?" Plasma squeaked.  
Rita squinted her eyes through the dust. She thought she saw a a dark figure lying on the beach, but when she blinked it disappeared. _Must have been my imagination..._  
"Well, this tree didn't go down!" Vapor declared.  
"I hate trees..." Plasma said, "it probably will come down."  
The wind howled, and the bent against the force of the wind. Rain poured down, and more thunder cracked. More lightning flashed across the sky, as bright as a star in the night sky. A small flame started at the top of another nearby tree.  
Rita jumped. _This storm is bad..._  
"Woah! We should leave before we get caught in the fire!" Moon gasped, as the flames passed on to the next tree.  
"Don't worry, the rain will put it out!" Vapor told them, also looking slightly scared. The fire soon spread to their tree.  
Rita dashed out from under it, followed by Moon and Plasma.  
"I'll put it out!" Vapor yelled, as she used water pulse. The fire didn't go out, it seemed to get bigger!  
"What's happening?" Vapor screeched.  
"Remember what Exploud said?" Rita asked her, "moves that should be working arent working..."  
"But I only thought that was for enemy Pokemon!" Vapor cried.  
"Apparently it's getting worse..." Moon said, panicing.  
The huge fire burned the whole tree, then spread to the soft sand, where it suddenly cut off.  
The four Pokemon were silent, only the sound of crackling thunder making noise.  
"How weird..." Plasma said, covering her head, as the rain seemed to get harder. "Can we pleeeeaaaaasssseeeee go back to the camp now?" she whined, jumping as thunder boomed in the sky.  
"S-Sure..." Vapor stuttered.

•  
The four Pokemon climbed up the large flight of stairs. When they entered the second floor everyone's heads turned towards them. A huge boom came from the thunder. Team Shade was up at the front of the huge room.  
"Ah, hello, it's nice of you four to finally join us!" Mightyena cheered, as more thunder cracked. "We were just going through some ground rules before we ate. But, we just finished. So ask someone about it." He turned towards the teams. "You all may go eat now," he said. When most of all the teams were in the cafeteria, Mightyena shot a glance at Jet, and followed them in.  
Smoke came running up to Vapor, Moon, Plasma, and Rita. "Where were you guys? I didn't think you'd be out that long..."  
"We got caught in the storm..." Moon said, as lightning flashed through the windows.  
"Really? Are you all alright?" Jet asked, as he walked over to them.  
"Yeah," Vapor answered, "but there was a fire..." she drifted off. "I'll explain it to you later..." Extremely loud thunder boomed, shaking the floor.  
"Well," Plasma started, shaking, "you wanna eat?"  
Rita's stomach growled. "Yes..."  
The six Pokemon walked into the cafeteria, getting in line. Rita grabbed a tray ad looked at the gray, mucky food.  
"EW! What is this stuff?" she heard Plasma complain from behind her.  
"Your dinner," Night said from behind the food table. "You'll eat it if your hungry enough."  
"This is a disgrace!" Plasma yelled, dipping her finger in the mush, and licking it. She paused, tasting it. "GROSS! And it tastes like crap!" she complained again.  
"Yeah, crap that your gonna eat. Now move so other Pokemo can get their crap," Night said.  
Plasma pouted and went to sit at their seat in the back of the cafeteria next to the big window.  
Rita followed her over, followed by Smoke. Moon was already sitting there waiting for them, while Vapor and Jet went to a different table.  
"This stuff is gross!" Plasma complained as she ate the gray food.  
"Then why are you eating it?" Smoke asked.  
"I'm hungry." She ate some more. "EW EW EW EW!" she cried.  
Moon looked at her. "Your an idiot..."  
Rita and Smoke laughed, then no one spoke for a while, everyone staring at their gray muck, except for Plasma, who was eating away.  
"So, what really happened while you guys were gone?" Smoke finally asked.  
The three looked at each other, thunder cracking from outside.  
"It was weird..." Moon started.  
"Trees got knocked down, and a fire started..." Plasma continued.  
"And it kept getting bigger each time water touched it," Moon said.  
"Eventually it spread to the tree we were under, and when Vapor tried to put it out it got extremely big," Rita jumped in.  
"What?" Smoke's eyes widened. "Are you all okay?"  
"No, Smoke, we died," Plasma said, her mouth full of gray muck.  
"Anyway," Rita asked before Smoke had a chance to reply, "what was with Team Shade and their _rules_?" she asked.  
"Well," he looked at Team Shade. "When we're on rescue missions, we have to give all the rewards to them, or they'll report something bad to Lady Pidgeot and Exploud..." he sighed, then looked over at Vapor and Jet. "And our two teams, including Team Luck for some reason, aren't aloud to have any contact with Jet and Vapor."  
"What?" Rita asked, "why?"  
"I don't know... they just made it clear we aren't to have any contact," he replied.  
"How stupid!" Plasma yelled, slamming her tray down. "They can't tell us what to do! I'm gonna go over with Jet and Vapor. They can't do anything!" she laughed, as she trotted over to them, pulled up a chair, and sat down. Rita couldn't quite tell what they were saying.  
Soon enough, Mightyena walked over to them. This time, Rita understood what they were saying.  
"Didn't anyone tell you you aren't aloud to talk with them?" Mightyena barked.  
"Yeah, and it's a stupid rule! And your stupid!" Plasma yelled back.  
"Stupid?" he mocked, "your the stupid one! Remember what Lady Pidgeot said? You are to do EVERYTHING we tell you to! Or you will be punished!" he yelled at her.  
"Filthy dog... you can't tell us what to do, and you can't punish us," she teased.  
"But we can," Golbat said, appearing beside Mightyena.  
Plasma glared at him. "You are s'posed to be keeping a deal!" she yelled at him.  
Mightyena looked at Golbat. "Deal?" he asked.  
"Uh..." Golbat looked at them both. "There's no... deal..."  
Plasma glared at him again. "Well you still can't tell us what to do!"  
"Calm down Plasma you'll get in trouble..." Jet told her.  
"No! They think they own everything! They can't tell us what to-" she was cut off as Golbat hit her with a shadow ball. She was thrown back against the wall.  
"Consider that payback for last week," he said.  
"Plasma!" Moon gasped.  
"We're stronger than you, and bigger. You will listen to us. Now go wait in the Silver Room for your punishment," Mightyena demanded.  
_Silver Room? _Rita asked herself.  
Plasma got up and limped towards the cafeteria doors. She opened the door and turned around to look at Mightyena. "Filthy mutt," she said, then laughed and closed the doors.  
Everyone was quiet, taking in the spectacle.

•  
Rita was in Team Luck's room with Victoria, Smoke, Moon, and Chance. Flower was on the third floor, whil Plasma was with Team Shade.  
"Plasma is an idiot..." Moon was saying.  
"You've said that quite a few times," Chance pointed out.  
Rita still found it hard to believe that the small Vulpix was her old best friend.  
"Yes I know," Moon replied. "It's because she is."  
Thunder made a loud bang.  
"This storm has gone on for a while..." Rita said.  
"Yeah..." Smoke said.  
"Hey, Vicky, we found you in a storm!" Chance laughed.  
"Yup... a month ago!" Victoria said.  
"A month?" Rita asked. _How long was I floating around in the ocean? _She asked herself.  
"I found Rita a week ago.." Smoke chuckled.  
"Wow, Rita, you must have been knocked out for a while!" came a voice from the door. Rita looked around to see Plasma.  
"Team Shade are a bunch of bums. And Golbat completely forgot the deal he made with us!" Plasma complained.  
"Meanies..." Chance sighed.  
"Deal?" Smoke asked.  
"Yeah we made a deal with Golbat while we were looking for Dew. But don't worry about it," Moon told him.  
"Anyway," Plasma started, "as punishment Team Shade took all our money..."  
"What? Plasma your an idiot!" Moon cried.  
"Chill, chill," Plasma said, "also, we have to do a rescue mission each day, and they are picking for us."  
"Your stupid..." Moon said.  
"Well, as soon as Lady Pidgeot comes back I'm ging to tell her everything," Plasma said.  
"Did you find out why they wont let us talk with Jet and Vapor?" Rita cut in.  
"No. When I asked they said it was _classified,_" Plasma sighed. "Team Shade is stupid. Mightyena is stupid. They are all stupid."  
As she said that, Golbat appeared in the doorway. "Ah, they things you say behind our backs," he mocked.  
Plasma whipped around at him. "Your a traitor!"  
"Listen, if Mightyena found out I'd made a deal with you, he'd hurt me. I don't wanna be hurt!" Golbat complained.  
"Whatever. Why are you here anyway?" Plasma asked.  
"To say goodnight," he laughed, "Mightyena forced me to let all the teams know you all need to sleep. He has something planned for all of you tomorrow."  
"What is it?" Rita asked.  
Golbat looked her over. "None of your buisness," he said, meeting her eyes. "What's it like being a human, surrounded by talking Pokemon?" he mocked.  
_So he knows. _"It's fun," Rita replied.  
"Fun? How is it fun?" he asked.  
Rita laughed. "That's classified."  
"Stupid human..." Golbat muttered. "Anyways Team Meteor and Team Attract need to go back to their rooms," he said, then left.  
Smoke turned to Victoria and Chance. "Well goodnight," he said.  
Everyone else said their goodnights, and went to their seperate rooms.  
Rita sat on the cotton bed, Smoke next to her. He layed down. "Night Rita," he said, then fell asleep.  
Rita looked out the window at the pouring rain. _I wanna go to the balcony..._  
Rita got off the bed and walked into the cold hallway. She peered in at Moon and Plasma. Both were sound asleep. She continued her walk down the hallway and came to the balcony. She stepped outside into the rain, the cold droplets piercing her skin. _It was raining the first night I was here, too. _She looked up at the cloud covered night sky. Rain droplets splattered against her face, and a chill went down her spine.  
"You really do wanna catch a cold, don't you?" a voice said from behind her. She looked around to see Jet. He stepped out next to her. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.  
"What are _you _doing out here?" Rita asked back. "We arent aloud to have any contact."  
"Well Mightyena is asleep, Night is asleep, and Golbat is outside somewhere," he said.  
"But why are you on this floor anyway?" Rita asked.  
He looked away. "I dunno..." he muttered, then looked back at her. "Is it true that your a human?" he asked.  
_How does he know? _she asked herself. "H-How did you find out?" she stuttered.  
"I overheard Team Shade talking the other day..." he said.  
Rita looked at him. "Yes. I'm a human," she said.  
"And Victoria?"  
"Yeah."  
"O-Okay..." Jet said. "Well I'm-" he was cut off as Golbat appeared in front of them.  
"Aww how sweet! Meeting up. But you do know you two arent supposed to be out here, right?" he laughed. "I'll have to tell Mightyena."  
Jet blushed. "Why are you three so stalkerish?"  
"Because we're in charge at the moment, and I suggest you two head to bed. You have _alot _of work tomorrow," Golbat chuckled then flew in to the hallway, and pointed to the elevator. "Now, off you go, Jet!"  
Jet glanced at Rita. "Night."  
"Night," she whispered, as he disappeared in the elevator.  
"You too!" Golbat said, pointing to her room.  
Rita walked into her room, seeing Smoke sleeping. Then she layed down, thoughts buzzing through her head, eventually drifting into sleep.


	10. Chapter Nine: Heat Mountain

Rita slightly opened her eyes. It was morning. The rain still battered against her window, though it was no longer storming. She turned her head towards Smoke. He was still fast asleep. For once, they weren't awoken by Exploud's screeching.

_I wonder what time it is... _Rita asked herself. But, there were no clocks in her room. She noticed the painting with the Pledge on it. She stood up and looked fully at the Pledge for the first time.

.

_"Forever we will protect, and keep safe, all Pokemon- good or bad._

_Never will we back down from a fight, no matter how tough or how weak, the Pokemon is._

_We will keep moving forward, until victory is achieved._Because_ we are rescue teams, and that's what we do._

_Forever we will protect the balance of space, time, darkness, and light._

_Forever we will protect all Pokemon."_

.

"So that's the Pledge..." Rita thought aloud.

"Yeeeep," Smoke's voice yawned from behind her. "I read it quite sometime ago. You haven't looked at it yet?" he laughed.

"No..." she replied.

A silence crept it's way into the room, only the sound of rain hitting the window was heard.

"We better get downstairs... Mightyena will probably be angry if we're late," Smoke said, killing the silence.

He headed out of the room.

Rita looked one last time at the pleadge, wanting to memorize it. She then stepped into the hallway, to see three other Pokemon coming from the room closest to theirs. One of the Pokemon, a Shieldon, looked over at Rita and Smoke and smiled.

"Oi!" he said, "I don't believe we'd properly introduced ourselves!" He, followed by his two teammates, an Archen and an Omanyte walked over to them. "We are floor mates, and we've never even talked!" the Shieldon said.

"Odd, but don't you think we should get to Mightyena?" Smoke asked.

"Nonsense, do you know how early it is?" Archen asked.

"No..."

"_Very _early," Archen laughed. From her voice, Rita could tell she was female.

"We," the Shieldon cut in, "are Team Resurrect!" Rita could tell from his voice he was male. "I am Shield, and this is Archen and Omanyte." He gestured towards the two. "I don't believe we properly caught your names."

"I'm Smoke," Smoke said. "And this is Rita."

"What a pretty name," Shield said.

"Thanks," Rita replied. She glanced at Omanyte, who wasn't talking. He caught her eye and smiled.

"Well," Archen spoke. "Now that greetings are done we shall be heading down!"

"Yes," Shield agreed. "Sometimes, if your _really _early, you get breakfast!" he chuckled, and the three Pokemon headed into the elevator.

"Strange group..." Smoke remarked. "And breakfast? I didn't know they served breakfast... but since Team Shade is in charge most likely they aren't..."

"It won't hurt to check," Rita told him, her stomach growling, for she didn't eat any of the gruel last night.

"Hmph. Alright," Smoke answered. He seemed somewhat depressed today.

As the two walked to the elevator, Rita glanced at the balcony. _I was caught last night... I hope the punishment isn't to harsh... _she hoped, then looked at Plasma and Moon's room. They both didn't seem awake.

Smoke pushed the _down _button. Soon enough, the elevator opened. Rita and Smoke stepped inside, as Smoke pressed the _Floor 2 _button. Rita felt the elevator pull down, then stop. The doors opened, and the two Pokemon stepped out. Rita glanced at a digital clock.

5:08 A.M it said.

_5:08? That's earlier then I've ever gotten up in my whole life! _Rita told herself.

"Wow..." Smoke said. "It's pretty early."

Rita and Smoke walked into the cafeteria, only to see two other teams. Team Resurrect, and Team Star. Both teams were eating something tannish. An amazing smell hit Rita's nose. She recognized it instantly, from her father making them constantly for her. "PANCAKES!" she yelled out loud.

Team Star and Team Resurrect both looked at her, and laughed.

_Oops... _Rita thought. _I haven't had pancakes in forever, though..._

Smoke and Rita both picked up a tray and plate, where they each took a pancake. Rita showered hers with syrup, while Smoke ate it plain. They both sat down at their usual table i the back, rain splattering against the window.

"Who knew the had pancakes in the Pokemon world!" Rita exclaimed, with her mouth full.

Smoke chuckled. "Well, yeah. I'm pretty sure in every world everyone eats pancakes."

Rita nodded, and continued eating, her taste buds overflowing with happiness as the pancakes slipped down her throat. She hadn't had anything this good since she got here.

"Who made these?" she asked, finishing.

"Probably Night..." Smoke answered.

"Well, then she's a good cook, even if she is part of Team Shade!" Rita said happily. She glanced at the time above the window. It was now 6:00 A.M, the usual time everyone was supposed to wake up and come down.

"Let's get moving..." Smoke said, and got up. He threw his plate away and put his tray back. Rita did the same. Team Star was gone, and Team Resurrect was still eating.

Rita and Smoke headed out of the cafeteria, the smell of pancakes drifting away. The two walked into the elevator, which was open. Smoke pressed the _Floor 3 _button, and the elevator moved up, and quickly came to a halt, letting the two Pokemon out. There were no other teams waiting except for Team Shade, who had to be up the earliest. When Mightyena noticed Smoke and Rita, he smirked.

"Well, look who's up early," he laughed. "You two are usually the last ones down here. Did you get breakfast?"

"Yes..." Rita nodded her head, "it was amazing!"

"Well, I'm pretty sure a human like you would enjoy pancakes," Golbat laughed.

"I made the pancakes," Night said, clearly satisfied that Rita liked them.

"Well they were good..." Rita smiled.

The conversation about pancakes soon ended as two other teams entered the room. More came, and pretty soon the floor was flooded with Pokemon. Rita looked around, trying to spot Plasma, Moon, or Jet. They didn't seem to be here yet, and neither did Victoria. She sighed, wishing she knew where her other human friends were.

The elevator door opened, and Plasma and Moon stepped out, followed by Victoria, Flower, and Chance.

Team Luck went to the left side of the room, while Moon and Plasma spotted Rita and Smoke inside the crowd.

"Goooooood morning you two!" Plasma said, appearing beside Rita.

"Your here before us? How strange," Moon giggled.

"Yes, and we ate breakfast," Rita laughed.

"They serve breakfast here...?" Plasma asked.

"Yes-" Rita was cut off as Mightyena spoke.

"While we are in charge, we have no need to say a silly pledge. Instead, I'll give you all your assignments. We've chosen rescue missions for you all, they are the ones that come with the best reward. Golbat is handing them out to you now..." Mightyena looked at Golbat, who was passing around papers to different teams. He eventually got to Plasma and Moon.

"We have a very special mission for you two," Golbat chuckled, and handed them a paper.

Plasma and Moon's eyes widened. "What is this?" Plasma asked, stunned.

Golbat laughed. "Your mission!" he said, then turned to Rita and Smoke and handed them a paper also, then flew towards the team next to them.  
Rita looked at the paper. It was another letter, written in green.

Dear rescue teams...  
My name is Whimsicott. Recently, my friend and I, Lilligant, took a trip to Heat Mountain. We heard that moves that aren't supposed to do much damage, are doing 2x the normal damage. We thought this would be the perfect time to train in Heat Mountain, where fire type Pokemon are. We are both grass types. But, for some reason, when we got there, nithing was working! We were unable to use any grass type moves, and then a pack of Houndour and a Houndoom attacked us! I got out safely, but Lilligant was captured. I'm to petrified to go back there. So, please, rescue team, go get Lilligant for me! I'm offering 5,000 Poke for her safe return, along with a Dawn Stone! Please find Lilligant!  
-_Whimsicott_  
_-_  
Difficulty Level: A  
Recommended Rank: Silver  
_•_  
"Aww... poor Whimsicott," Rita said, then looked at the rank recommendation. "Silver? We aren't even bronze yet!" she exclaimed.  
"Oh yeah? You think that's bad? Our recommendation rank is Ultra! That's so uncool! And the rescue mission is on Isolated Island... one of the most difficult dungeons there is!" Plasma screeched.  
Mightyena laughed. "I see your all very... pleased. All of these must be finished today, or no dinner, and we will report bad things to Lady Pidgeot and Exploud," he barked, laughing.  
"We suggest you start now," Golbat said.  
All the teams scattered, all of them heading towards the stairs and elevator. Rita looked at Moon and Plasma. There was no way they could complete their mission. She then looked for Jet and Vapor. She spotted them heading down the stairs. _I wonder what they got... _Rita asked herself. She then spotted Victoria and her team. They were heading down the stairs also. Rita wondered where they were heading, too.  
"I guess... we better stock up..." Plasma sighed.  
"Remember? Team Shade took our supplies," Moon said, angry.  
"Oh..."  
"Here," Rita said, handing Plasma the money they got for rescueing Weedle a while ago. "Use this. You need it more then we do," she said.  
"What? You still have this?" Plasma asked.  
"Yeah, we never used it," she replied.  
"Go down to the town and but lots of Oran Berries, and apples. You'll need those things," Smoke suggested.  
"Thanks..." Moon said, smiling at them. "But now you two don't have anything to use."  
"We'll be alright," Smoke said, looking at Mightyena, who was talking with Night and Golbat. "But you better not let Team Shade see that. Hurry down to the Kecleon Brother's shop, and buy out the whole store!" he laughed.  
Plasma giggled. "Will do!" she said. "Lets go, Moon!"  
"Right!" Moon answered, and the two Pokemon got in the elevator.  
_I wonder which of them is the team leader... _Rita asked herself.  
"We better get going," Smoke said, breaking her thoughts. "We need to get it done as fast as possible."  
"Yeah," Rita agreed. The two walked down the long stairs, and arrived outside, in the pouring rain. "How far is Heat Mountain?" Rita asked, rai hitting her face.  
"Not far," Smoke said. He pointed to a large mauntain in the distance. "That's Heat Mountain."  
"How do you know this?" Rita asked, shocked by his knowledge.  
"That's where I was born..." Smoke sighed. "I hope we don't run into any of my family..."  
"Why not?" Rita asked, suddenly missing her own family. _I wonder what dad is doing... are they searching for me? Do they know what really happened? _Rita thought about her other friend's families. _Are they all searching for us...? _  
Smoke interupted the questions flying through her head. "There's alot of tension between us... that's all.

•  
The journey to Heat Mountain was a quiet one. Neither Smoke nor Rita said much, only ocassionaly pointing at strage trees, or scenery. Eventually, they arrived in front of a steaming mountain.  
"Here we are..." Smoke sighed. He walked towards the entrance. "C'mon, let's get this over with..."  
Rita followed him in. As she walked inside the mountain, heat clashed against her skin. Instantly, she wanted to leave, but she knew she couldn't.  
After a little bit of trekking through the inside of the mountain, Rita and Smoke came to a small den.  
Rita heaved a sigh of relief. "Yes! Can we rest here?" she asked Smoke.  
Smoke looked startled at the sight of the den. "I didn't think this would be here anymore..." she heard him mutter. He then picked up his head and looked at Rita. "Huh? Oh...yeah. Sure..." he said.  
Rita squeezed her way into the den. She looked around. It looked empty. She layed down on the ground. It seemed cooler in here. She glanced at Smoke, who seemed to be sniffing the air.  
"We can't stay long..." he said. "Just for a few minutes."  
"Why?" Rita asked.  
"Reasons," Smoke replied.  
As he said that, another Pokemon entered the cave. It was a Quilava.  
Smoke stared at the other Quilava, his eyes wide. The Quilava stared back.  
"S-Shippai?" he stuttered.  
Smoke looked away. "Who's that?" he asked.  
_Shippai? _Rita asked herself.  
The Quilava spoke again, still looking startled. "It's me, Seikou!"  
Smoke growled. "I know no such Pokemon."  
_Seikou? _  
"You aren't Shippai? You sure look like him..." the Quilava, known as Seikou, walked over to Smoke and circled him. Then he stopped. "Why did you run away?"  
"I don't know what your talking about," Smoke said, then turned to Rita. "Lets go. Seikou has clearly gone crazy."  
"Ah! So you do remeber me!" Seikou exclaimed.  
"No! You just said your name, idiot," Smoke growled.  
Seikou laughed. "You act like Shippai too! Who's your friend?"  
"I don't know you..." Smoke lied. "Let's go Rita. He's weird." Smoke walked towards the exit, Rita getting up and following him. Seikou blocked them.  
"I'm sure it's you, Shippai," he growled. "I'm sure of it. What have you been doing? Living up to your name? Haha!"  
Smoke snarled. "Let us out. We're on a rescue mission."  
_Who is this guy? _Rita asked herself.  
Seikou noticed her expression. "You confused? This here is Shippai, that's his real name. It means _failure._" Seikou laughed. "And my name, Seikou, means _success."_  
"No," Smoke growled. "My name is Smoke."  
"You changed your name?" Seikou laughed. "You may have changed your name, but you can't change who you really are. A failure." He laughed again. "Trying to make up for everything by forming a rescue team? Mother was right to name you _Shippai_. "  
_Shippai...? What has Smoke been hiding from me? _Rita asked herself.  
"Let me tell you this, pretty lady," Seikou was speaking again. "This guy, who you apparently know as _Smoke, _he's a liar. And he's a failure. he could never win anything, and everyone in the town hated him. Mother hated him, too."  
"Hana didn't hate me..." Smoke said.  
"Yeah, the only one. Too bad she died," Seikou laughed, then looked at Rita. "Hana was our sister."  
"She's dead?" Smoke asked, shocked.  
"Yep. Fell from the top of the mountain," Seikou laughed again. "Now no one likes you!"  
"That's not true," Rita said.  
"Eh, so you can speak? Are you his partner?" Seikou asked.  
"Yes. And I think you should let us through. We're on a mission." Rita shoved Seikou aside, knocking him to the ground. She then walked out of the den, followed by an angry Smoke.  
The two walked away.  
"Shippai!" Seikou's voice called from a distance. "That's what you are!"  
Smoke ignored him and kept walking up.  
Eventually after about ten minutes, Smoke spoke. "Shippai: failure; a mistake; be unsuccessful." He took a breath. "Seikou: succeed; be successful." He looked at Rita. "My real name is Shippai, meaning failure. Seikou's name is Seikou, meaning success. He always won the attention of others, and always won battles. I was never given any attention, and I lost all my battles. So my mother changed my name from Smoke to Shippai."  
"You could have told me..." Rita said. "Don't pay any attention to him."  
"I try not to. I haven't been here for a few years. I ran away."  
"I see. Well, now you have people who like you. They just didn't recgonize your talent," Rita said.  
Smoke smiled slightly. "Thanks. I hope we don't see anyone else. I thought everyone would be gone."  
"Sometimes you cant leave your real home..." Rita sighed, missing her home.  
Smoke looked at her, both of them still walking. "Do you ever miss your human family?" he asked.  
Rita sighed again. "I never really truly thought about it until you mentioned your family... I know It seems selfish... and they probably think I'm dead. If they go searching the ocean they wont find anything, just a bunch of water."  
"Do you think Victoria's family misses her?" Smoke asked.  
"I cant remember much of either of the families. But yeah... they probably really miss her. Most likely everyone is searching for us right now. But they wont find anything... probably just my sunken boat," Rita finished, the heat still pressing against her skin.  
Smoke was quiet, then he spoke. "Do you want to go home?" he asked reluctantly.  
Rita hesitated. She missed her family, but the thought of leaving everyone, even Team Shade, made her want to burst into tears. "I-I'm not sure... I love everyone here alot, but I love my family too..." she finally said.  
"I see..." Smoke said. "Well I wouldn't want you to leave, and I'm sure Plasma and Moon wouldn't either."  
_I love everybody here... including Pidgeot and Exploud.. sometimes. I don't want to leave... I cant even properly remember my family. I only remember my father... but I miss him, too._  
The thoughts flew through Rita's head. The sound of howls cut her off. She jumped, and looked around. "What was that?" she asked aloud.  
"I'm not sure..." Smoke replied.  
Eight small Pokemon jumped down in front of them. They all growled.  
"Are those the Houndour that took Lilligant?" Rita asked.  
"Most likely. But didn't the letter say there was a Houndoom?" Smoke replied.  
As he asked that, a huge Houndoom jumped down from a tall rock. "Who are you, entering the territory of the Clan Of Flames?" he snarled.  
"We are here for Lilligant!" Smoke growled. "Where is she?"  
"Up here!" a female voice squeaked from the rock Houndoom had jumped off of.  
Rita looked up to see Lilligant peering over the edge. "Help me! It's soooo hot! And you cant see it, but there's a fire right behind me!  
"You'll have to fight for her!" one of the Houndour growled.  
"Yes. Prove your worthyness!" Houndoom snarled, readying fire in it's mouth. The Houndour did the same.  
"Here they come, Rita!" Smoke yelled.  
Rita braced herself as flames rolled towards her. She released a thunderbolt, trying to defend herself, while Smoke used flamethrower, clashing flames with Houndoom. The flames from the Houndour pushed Rita back, eventually breaking her thunderbolt. Great heat clashed all over her body. "Ahhhhh!" she cried, falling to the ground.  
Smoke's flames overpowered Houndoom's, as Houndoom flew back against the rock wall. He stood up and growled. That's not enough to take _me _down!" he hissed, then charged at Smoke.  
Rita shakily stood up and faced the Houndour. "Little runts!" she yelled at them, and used thunderbolt again, catching them off guard. Suprisingly, they all whimpered and fled, leaving Houndoom, who was on the ground fighting with Smoke.  
"Cowards!" he barked at the Houndour. "Useless puppies! I hope you die in a flood!"  
Smoke used a strong flamethrower in Houndoom's face, as he fell off. He glanced at Rita, and charged towards her.  
_Ahhhh what do I do? _Then without noticing it, she used attract. Instantly, Houndoom stopped and stared at her. There was a silence. "Huh... now that I get a better look at you," he chuckled. "Your kinda hot." He was then knocked in the side of the head by Smoke's flamethrower. "Well," Smoke started, walking up to Houndoom and using ember. "At the moment, your hotter."  
Rita slapped her forehead at the terrible pun. She heard giggles from the tall rock. Lilligant was looking down at them. "Can you help me down now, please?" she giggled.  
"Oh, yeah..." Smoke said, then turned to Rita. "You get her down. I'm tired," he said, as he sat down.

•  
As Rita stepped back outside, rain hit her head. "It's _still _raining?" she exclaimed.  
"No, no. It's snowing," Smoke said sarcastically. He seemed to forget the incident with Seikou.  
_So really, do I still call him Smoke? Or Shippai? _Rita asked herself. _I'll stay with just Smoke..._  
"Wow..." Lilligant breathed in the air. "It feels soooo good to be out of that steaming death trap!" She looked at Rita and Smoke. "Thank you both!"  
Rita smiled, and Smoke nodded.  
"Now let's head back," Smoke said, chuckling.  
The way back seemed harder, since they had Lilligant with them. But, she kept their spirits up by cheering and laughing at the most silly things.  
The cold rain came down harder, piercing Rita's skin as they walked through it.  
"So much rain! So much rain! I hope it all goes down the drain!" Lilligant was singing. "For if it don't, the land will flood! Drown we will! Down our heads! And before we know it we'll be dead!" Lilligant giggled, and repeated the song.  
_She seems pretty happy to be out of that cave... _Rita noticed. _While we were in the cave all she did was whine._  
Rita and Smoke both arrived at the front entrance of the Rescue Camp. The doors were open, letting anyone in. Rita, Smoke, and Lilligant walked up the steep stairs, and eventually came to the third floor, where Mightyena was talking with Golbat. They both turned as the three Pokemon entered the floor.  
"Well! I'd have to say that as pretty quick!" Mightyena remarked, looking surprised. "We'll have to contact Whimsicott." He turned to Golbat. "Go to Light Town and let her know Lilligant is okay," he instructed.  
Golbat nodded. "Alright," he said the flew into the elevator.  
Mightyena turned to Smoke and Rita. "Good job... honestly I didn't think you two would complete the mission."  
"What?" Smoke roared. "Then why did you give it to us?"  
Mightyena laughed, then leaned in near Smoke. "I wanted to see you fail, Smoke." He lowered his voice. "I dont like you, and I wanted to see you fail. Because that's what you are, a failure." Mightyena laughed again, the narrowed his eyes at Smoke. "And you cant change that." With those words, and before giving Smoke a chance to reply, Mightyena stalked off into the elevator.  
Smoke growled. "Atleast I did the mission! I bet you wouldnt have been able to!" Smoke yelled, knowing Mightyena couldn't hear him.  
Rita looked at Smoke. "_Ignore _him. He's clearly jealous of you."  
"There's nothing to be jealous of," Smoke grunted.  
Lilligant spoke this time. "Of course there is!" she sang. "Your nicer then him, better looking..." she giggled. "And you have an amazing and strong partner!" Lilligant giggled again, then looked at Rita. "And she's human, too, am I not correct?"  
_What? How does she know? _Rita asked herself.  
"Uh...yes..." Smoke said, hesitantly. "How do you know?"  
"I'm me! I know alot of things!" Lilligant laughed, and spun around in a circle. "I'm friends with a rescue team here. I'm not sure if you've heard of them."  
"Well, what's their team name?" Smoke asked.  
"Team Nyan," Lilligant giggled.  
"How did they find out about me?" Rita asked. _Does the whole camp know?_  
"Word gets around," Lilligant replied. "Gossip. They said they overheard Team Shade talking."  
_How many Pokemon overheard Team Shade talking? _  
"Oh, well try not to tell to many Pokemon... we don't want rumors starting," Smoke told her.  
"Awwww don't worry Smokey! I wont!" Lilligant smiled, then laughed. "Human..." her eyes clouded with saddness, then it went away, and she smiled, her eyes filling back up with happiness. "When you were human, Rita, did you have any Pokemon?" she asked.  
_Pokemon? Oh... I was... a trainer... who were my Pokemon... and what happened to them? _"Yeah..." Rita looked at Lilligant, slightly tilting her head. "I did. But I dont remember their names, just like I dont remember my friends' names'..."  
Lilligant smiled. "I'm sure it'll come to you eventually."  
Rita smiled back.  
The elevator door then suddenly opened, and a small Pokemon stepped out. She was covered in cotton, and her skin borwn. She looked over a Lilligant. "Lilligant!" she shrieked, then catapulted herself at Lilligant. "Your okay!"  
Golbat came out too, and stepped on the ground next to Whimsicott.  
"Nice to see you, Whimsicott!" Lilligant said, in a sing-songy voice.  
Whimsicott looked at Rita and Smoke. "Are they who rescued you?" she asked.  
"Yep!" Lilligant cheered. "They sent those Houndour and that Houndoom crying to their mamas'!"  
Whimsicott turned towards them and bowed. "Thank you very much!" she squeaked, then reached into the fluff of hair on her head. She took out a small blue stone, followed by a wad of money. She handed it to Rita. "For you! The promised 5,000 Poke, and the Dawn Stone!" she held her bow, her fluff of hair swinging in front of her face. "Thank you oce again," she said, then lifted her head to look at Rita and Smoke. "You two make me want to form a rescue team with Lilligant even more... we've been talking about it for a while, but we never got the chance..." She lifted her head towards Golbat. "May we?"  
Golbat looked surprised. "Well... uh... you see, we aren't the real camp leaders... Lady Pidgeot is, and she's not here right now."  
"Oh?" Whimsicott asked. "Where is she then? When will she be back? Can you tell her that Lilligant and I would like to make a rescue team? Can it be called Team Magical Leaf, or do we not get to pi-" Whimsicott was cut off as Lilligant put a hand on her shoulder. "Lady Pidgeot is on a week long mission with Exploud. They are searching for a lost rescue team member. Just wait untill she gets back, then you can flood her with your questions," Lilligant said, giggling.  
"Thanks..." Golbat muttered, looking at Rita and Smoke, who were watching questiongly.  
Whimsicott bowed again. "Thank you. We'll be on our way now," she finished.  
"Yes, indeed. Please spend your money wisely, Rita, Smokey! We'll be seeing you!" She looked at Rita. "And good luck with everything, friend," she said, smiling, then her and Whimsicott disappeared behind the elevator doors.  
It was silent for a bit, except for the soft patter of the rain. Golbat then turned towards Rita and Smoke.  
"Alright, Team Meteor," he started. "Hand over the money."  
"What? Why? We worked for this money!" Smoke argued.  
"Rules are rules, runt! I suggest you follow them!" Golbat growled.  
Smoke pouted as Rita nahded Golbat the 5,000 Poke and the Dawn Stone.  
Golbat glanced at the shiny blue stone. "You can keep that," he said. "We don't have any use for it."  
"Thanks..." Rita sighed. _We don't have much use for it either... perhaps we could sell it..._  
"Well," Golbat said, smiling at the cash, "you two are the first team to return, so rest while you can." Golbat stalked off into the Silver Room, chuckling at the money.  
Smoke looked at Rita. "Well that's unfair..." he sighed. "Atleast we get the Dawn Stone..." He looked at the Dawn Stone. "What do we use it for?"  
"It's for evolution of..." Rita started, trying to remember the evolutionary stone lessons she got as a kid. "Um... female Snorunt... and..." she paused, trying to think again. "Male Kirlia," she finished.  
"How do you know this kind of stuff?" Smoke asked questiongly.  
"They taught us it in school..." Rita sighed, looking at the droplet covered window.  
"Well, I dont know any male Kirlias', and I dont know any female Snorunt..." Smoke said, then glanced at the Dawn Stone. "But it's pretty. We could put it to use sometime."  
"Hey! Smoke, Rita!" a voice squeaked.  
Rita turned around to see Pidgey, Pidgeot's son, hopping over towards them. "So how did the mission go?" he chirped.  
"Oh, it went fine..." Storm said, smiling.  
"Well that's good!" Pidgey sang, his eyes drifting towards the Dawn Stone in Rita's paw. "Wow! Shiny! Where'd you get that?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.  
"Oh, it was our reward..." Rita said. "But we have no use for it. Would you like it?" she asked the small bird Pokemon.  
"Really?" Pidgey chirped happily. "I can have it?"  
"Yep!" Smoke laughed. "It's all yours."  
Rita handed the Dawn Stone to Pidgey, who's eyes lit up with happiness.  
"Thanks! I can add it to my collection of shiny thingsmajigs!" he cheered, then looked at Rita and Smoke. "Do you have any idea when mom and Mister Exploud will be back?" he asked.  
"Didn't you hear? About a week," Smoke answered.  
"Okay... I just feel like something went wrong," Pidgey said, then was quiet for a moment. "Do you think their okay?"  
"Of course!" Smoke said, smiling. "Their the great Team Gold! And when you evolve, you'll be a part of them!"  
"Yes, I know! But I think somethings wrong! I have this feeling deep down in my..." he looked down at his fat belly and patted it. "My gut," he said. "My gut knows all."  
"I'm pretty sure their fine, and you'll find that that's true when they return soon. It'll only be about five days," Smoke assured him.  
"I cant wait that long! I'm sure of it! I know something went wrong!" Pidgey argued.  
"Pidgey, calm down," Rita soothed. "Your a big boy, right?"  
Pidgey nodded, tears in his eyes.  
"And big boys are strong, right?"  
Pidgey nodded again.  
"So, you can be strong, and wait, since your a big boy, right?" Rita asked.  
Pidgey wiped his tears away and nodded. "Right!"  
Rita smiled. "So, lets wait together, five days! And when the five days are finished we'll..." Rita thought for a moment. "We'll take you on your first mission!"  
"What?" Smoke exclaimed.  
"Yay!" Pidgey cheered. "I'll be super strong!" he said, then flew off into the elevator.  
Smoke turned to Rita. "Rita you cant be serious!"  
"Of course I'm serious! It'll be fun!" she laughed.  
"He's way to young, and Lady Pidgeot would never approve of it!" Smoke said, a sad expression on his face.  
"I haven't known Pidgeot long, but I'm pretty sure she'll do anything to make him happy. And he'd have us with him! We could take him to an easy dungeon, on an easy mission!" Rita explained.  
Smoke was quiet. "Fine, if you say so."

•  
Rita and Smoke sat down at their usual dinner table, though it seemed quite empty without Plasma and Moon. Only a few teams had returned. Victoria's team had yet to come back, as well as Jet, Vapor, Plasma, and Moon. The only teams that had returned were Rita and Smoke, Team Rivalry, Team Nyan, and Team Star.  
Tonight, instead of gray muck, Night made ramen.  
"Wow..." Rita said, slurping in the noodles. "They are missing out."  
Smoke nodded his head, his mouth full of the ramen.  
"Do you think they're alright?" Rita asked.  
"Yes, they're fine. They're Team Attract, aren't they?" Smoke asked, swallowing the noodles.  
Rita grinned, and looked at her half-empty bowl. _They're probably really hungry... Plasma only ate gruel last night and Moon didn't eat anything... _She looked into her bowl again, the smell of the delicious ramen tugged at her, offering her to eat more, but she pushed it away. _I'll save it for them... for when they get back. _Rita pictured Moon and Plasma's happy faces when they received the mouthwatering ramen. Rita smiled at the thought, imagining the the funny things Plasma would say about the food, and the things Moon would argue with her about. Rita giggledd softly.  
"What are you laughing about?" Smoke's voice cut off her thoughts. Smoke then eyed her ramen. "You gonna finish that?" he asked.  
"No. I'm saving it for Moon and Plasma... they'll be hungry," she replied.  
"Rita, they might not come back _rrreeeaaalllyyyy _late tonight, _remember_? And their mission was on _Isolated Island_. You probably don't know about it but it's a very dangerous and huge island, and it takes a long time to get there and back," he said, frowning. "And I doubt the ramen would stay good that long."  
"I'm saving it anyway!" Rita snapped. "They'll be hungry."  
"Whatever..." Smoke sighed, then looked around. "It seems alot of teams might not be back... I think Team Shade picked out the ones that were meant for Lady Pidgeot and Exploud to do."  
"Well ours was for silver rank..." Rita said.  
"Yeah, out of all the rescue missions here it was probably one of the easiest to do," Smoke sighed, then stared into his empty bowl. "It's really quiet..."  
"Attention teams!" Night's voice sounded from the front of the room, causing Rita to jump.  
Rita looked up at the sleek, purple Liepard. She usually wasn't the one to make announcements.  
"Mightyena and Golbat are out on their own rescue mission... so I'm in charge for now!" Night said, smiling. "And I hope you four teams all enjoyed my special ramen!"  
Everyone muttered in agreement.  
"It's a shame there weren't more teams here to enjoy it..." Night sighed. "Well, anyway, congratulations for completing your rescue missions. I checked the points everyone has for their ranks, and it seems that Team Star has enough to proceed to Silver Rank!" Night cheered.  
Rita looked at the three Pokemon that were on Team Star; a Charmeleon, a Bayleef, and a Prinplup. Theother teams clapped, and Rita and Smoke did the same.  
Night walked over to the three Pokemon. "Lady Pidgeot usually does this... but I guess I have to," Night said, then handed Charmeleon, the leader of Team Star, a blue bag. "Congrats on your new achievment... blah blah blah... you know the words, right?" Night asked, slightly laughing.  
"Yeah..." Charmeleon chuckled, then took the bag. "Thanks, Night," he said, then sat down.  
"You can all leave now, if you guys wanna," Night told the teams.  
Smoke leaned over to Rita. "I want that to be us soon, we need to reach bronze rank!" he whispered, then got up. Rita got up too, balaning her ramen on her head with her tail. The two Pokemon walked into the elevator.  
"Well, the night's gonna be pretty boring..." Smoke sighed, the looked at the buttons, and pressed the _Floor 3 _button.  
"What are we doing here?" Rita asked.  
"I wanna get to bronze rank soon, so I'm picking out a rescue mission for us to do," he replied, as he got out of the elevator. Rita followed him, scanning the wall of jobs. "This one will do!" Smoke exclaimed, and ripped a paper off the wall. Rita watched his eyes move as he read it. "Okay! It's recommedned for normal rank, and it's a job taking place in the Identical Caves. We'll do it tomorrow," he yawned, then headed to the elevator. Rita followed him, looking hopefully at the stairs, hoping that Plasma and Moon would soon come bursting into the room cheering about finishing their mission. Her hopes followed her into her dreams as she slept, dreaming that Plasma and Moon came back safe, along with Jet and Vapor.  
They never came back that night, nor were they back when Rita woke up that morning.


	11. Chapter Ten: Quiet and Empty

Rita hauled her way up the stairs, tired. Smoke was outside with Gabite, the Pokemon they had rescued. When Rita arrived at the top of the steps, she sighed sadly. It was _still _raining, and Plasma, Moon, Jet, and Vapor still hadn't returned, though, many teams still had not returned. Only two other teams, Team Light and Team Rose, had returned the previous night.  
_I guess the ramen got cold... _Rita thought to herself, laughing slightly, then she was worried. _I hope they are okay... I don't know what I'd do without them... _Rita breathed a heavy sigh, then looked at the ceiling. Everything was going dark. Rita felt her knees buckle, as she dropped to the floor, unable to control her body. _What's happening? _She felt darkness cloud her vision, as she heard someone call her name. She tried to call back, but she couldn't speak. Her vision finally clouded, and soon her whole world was black.

Rita sat up. "What happened?" she asked out loud.  
Nobody answered.  
"Hello?" Rita called.  
Nobody answered.  
Rita then got up, and looked around. Darkness surrounded her. She searched desperatley for any sign of life, but failed. Suddenly, a dark figure appeared in front of her.  
"Hello, Rita," it said.  
"Hello..." Rita answered, as she squinted her eys at the figure. _That's the figure we saw while we were on Floor 23! _Rita gasped, and stared at the figure.  
"Do you know why your here?" it asked her.  
"Who are you?" Rita asked, ignoring the question.  
The figure made a laughing motion. "I'm your guardian," it seemed to smile as it said those words. "Do you remember me? From the twenty third floor?" It giggled in a girlish tone.  
"Yes... I do..." Rita answered, trying to figure out who the figure was.  
"Anyway, back to the question," the Figure started. "Do you know why your here?"  
Rita shook her head.  
"Your here to complete your duty!" the Figure said, spinning around.  
"What's my duty?" Rita asked, noticing the figure was fading away. "I need to know! And who are you?"  
The Figure giggled. "That's classified!" it said, spinning around, the disappeared.  
Rita sighed, then she thought she heard her name.  
"Rita?" it asked.  
"Huh?" Rita looked around.  
"Rita! Wake up!" the voice said. She recgonized the voice.  
Rita shot her head up, breathing heavily.  
"Rita! What happened?"  
Rita looked over. It was Jet.  
"Huh? Jet!" she yelled happily, then attacked him with a hug. "You guys took so long! And Plasma and Moon aren't back, and I saved ramen but it's cold-"  
"Quiet down!" Jet whispered. "I'm not aloud to talk to you, remember?"  
Rita sat back. "Oh... yeah..."  
"Now, what happened, Rita?"  
Rita looked over to see Vapor staring at her with a worried expression.  
Rita looked up, trying to recall the strange dream. "I think I passed out, and then a figure appeared... and told me it was my guardian and... um... that I'm here to complete a duty..." Rita finished.  
Vapor and Jet looked at eachother with puzzled faces.  
Rita looked around. "Am I in your room...?" she asked.  
"Yeah," Jet replied. "Welcome to our kingdom." He grinned. "And your guardian, eh? Who was it?"  
"It sounded like a girl," Rita started. "And it giggled alot."  
"Any kind of shape or form?" Vapor asked. "Does she remind you of anyone?"  
_So many questions... _"She, looks like she had some sort of dress on, but it was blurry," Rita said, recalling the dream. "I don't know of anyone, alot of people giggle..."  
Jet and Vapor were silent.  
"I see..." Vapor finally said.  
Rita looked at them both. "So how was your... mission?" she asked.  
Jet spoke. "Stupid Golbat gave us an ultra rank mission. It was at a place called Past Valley," he said.  
"Yeah," Vapor continued. "And it's _haunted_!" she exclaimed.  
Jet shushed her. "Keep your stupid voice down! We'll get in trouble if we're seen with them!"  
Vapor pouted. "Pushy..."  
"Anyway," Jet said, ignoring her comment, "it was real chilly... but it turned out okay. Wingull is safe," he finished, then looked at Rita. "How about you? Did you get into trouble?" he asked.  
"It went well," Rita said. "We helped Lilligant, and Whimsicott took her back to Light Town," she said, then sighed. "But Plasma and Moon aren't back yet... I miss them..."  
"What was their mission?" Vapor asked.  
"Isolated Island."  
"Team Shade really is terrible..." Jet looked at Rita. "They'll be fine, though. Atleast try to trust me."  
Rita smiled, then nodded.  
Jet's face turned slightly red. "And, I've been wanting to tell you, but Team Shade's made it difficult for me..." he said, sighing.  
"What is it?" Rita asked.  
"Well, you know how you had five of your friends on a boat, the night you turned into a Pokemon?" Jet asked.  
"Yeah, why?" Rita asked. _Does he know something?_  
"Victoria was one of them, and the other three are still unown to you, correct?" he asked again.  
"Yes."  
"Well... I should have told you sooner. I'm one of them... my real name is-" Jet was cut off as Golbat flew in the room.  
"Sneaking around, trying to talk again, are we?" he asked, smirking, then looked at both Jet and Rita. "Ya like her, ay Jet?" Golbat asked, laughing.  
Jet's face turned bright red. "N-No! She's just a friend!" He turned his head away and stalked out of the room.  
"Jet!" Vapor yelled, the followed him out.  
"Wow," Golbat said, chuckling. "How cute." He looked at Rita. "Is Plasma's team back yet?" he asked.  
"No," Rita grunted unhappily. "Why?"  
"W-Well.. it's been almost two days and t-the other teams are all back..." he stuttered. "I think we might have gone to far with giving them that hard a mission..." Golbat sighed. "It was Mightyena's idea, not mine!" he yelled. "And you should stop sneaking off with Jet," he laughed.  
"I wasn't _sneaking off_!" Rita snapped. "I was passed out and they brought me up here. Anyway, where is Smoke?"  
"Downstairs looking for you," Golbat replied.  
Rita padded out of the room and into the elevator. Jet and Vapor were gone. Then what Jet had said hit her. _He was one of my friends? He was a human too? All this time, and he didn't tell me! _Rita felt her face turn hot. _Which friend is he? Jetson? _She blushed at the thought of him, and then she violently pushed the _Floor 3 _button. The elevator quickle shot down, letting Rita out on the third floor.  
Smoke jumped when he saw her. "Rita!" he called, sounding worried. "Are you alright? I heard you'd passed out!" He ran up to her. "Please dont disappear on me..." he asked her.  
"Im sorry, Smoke," Rita said. "Jet and Vapor took me to their room- they got back, I think it was because Jet needed to talk to me..." she said, then lowered her voice into a whisper. "He says he was one of my friends with me on the boat..." she finished.  
"What? Jet's a human?" Smoke asked, surprised, then he chuckled. "No wonder he's so attached to you."  
Rita blushed again. "That's not the point- the point is that he's one of us, and I need to tell Vicky! Where is she?" Rita asked.  
"She's in the cafeteria with Flower and Chance," Smoke told her. "And Plasma and Moon still haven't got back..." he sighed.  
_I miss them alot... I'll have to tell them everything when they get back, and give them the ramen I saved. _Rita smiled at the thought of the ramen sitting in her room. She then walked towards the staircase, climbing down the stairs to where the cafeteria was. Smoke followed behind her. Rita walked into the cafeteria to see Victoria and her team, all sitting at a small glass table in the center of the cafeteria. Rita padded up to her.  
Victoria looked up at Rita. "Why hewwo there, Ritaaaaa!" Victoria greeted, looking dazed.  
"Jet's a human!" Rita blurted out.  
Victoria's glazed eyes returned to normal. "For real?" she asked, surprised.  
"Wow!" Chance and Flower both exclaimed in excitement.  
"Yes!" Rita nodded her head. "He told me about ten minutes ago..."  
"Wait," Victoria cut in. "Aren't you not supposed to be conversing with Team Water Pulse?" she asked.  
"Long story, but he says he's human," Rita stated again.  
Smoke padded next to her, listening to the conversation.  
"Jet's that shiny Floatzel, right?" Victoria asked.  
"Yeah."  
"Ohhh okay! Did he tell you his real name?" Victoria asked. "Even if my memory was washed away by the ocean, I don't recall having a friend named _Jet._"  
"No he couldn't..." Rita sighed. "Golbat came in. I think he was spying on us."  
Chance laughed. "Stalker, Golbat!" she said, grinning.  
_Should I tell her about my dream...? _"Hey... and I also had a dream-like vision," Rita said.  
"I'm listening," Victoria replied.  
"A figure appeared... and told me I had a duty... and that it was my guardian. Then it disappeared..." Rita told her.  
Victoria's eyes widened. "Y-You had that dream too?" she asked  
"Wait, when did you get it?" Rita asked, startled.  
"Rita, you didn't tell me this!" Smoke whined, clearly hurt.  
"Last night..." Victoria started. "The figure acted girlish and weird..." she said.  
"Same..." Rita sighed.  
"Vicky!" Rita heard Chance complain, "you never told us this!"  
"Yeah we deserve to know!" Flower whined.  
Victoria ignored them. "Where's Plasma and Moon, anyways?" she asked. "They still haven't gotten back."  
"I know..." Rita sighed. Everytime her friends were brought up she missed them even more. "I hope they come back..." she said sadly.  
"Why don't we wait for them, outside?" Smoke suggested. "I'm pretty sure they'll be back soon..."  
"Maybe..." Rita sighed again, then was brightened up by the thought of greeting them when they returned. "Okay, lets go wait!"

The sun was setting as Rita stepped outside on to the soft grass. She yawned, picturing Plasma and Moon receiving her ramen. For some reason, she was upsessed with the thought of ramen.  
"Now.. we wait..." Smoke yawned.  
Victoria, Chance, and Flower had decided to stay in and eat dinner, but Rita wanted to make sure she was there to greet Plasma and Moon when they got back.  
After about twenty minutes, three small figures appeared in the distance, on top of the green hills. "Hey!" Rita exclaimed. "Is that them?"  
"I dunno..." Smoke yawned again. "Can't see."  
Rita sooned recgonized two of the figures as an Emolga and Clefairy. "It is them!" she exclaimed. "Hey!" she called to the Pokemon.  
The Emolga picked it's head up. It was Plasma. "Ritaaaa! Smooooke!" she called, her sad face turning happy.  
Moon looked up and smiled, looking exhausted.  
The third Pokemon didn't show any expression.  
Plasma gave Rita and Smoke a hug. "It was _TERRIBLE_!" she complained. "All Moon did was complain," she said, narrowing her eyes at the pink Clefairy.  
Moon just sighed.  
"Oh!" Plasma exclaimed. "And this is Rici!" she said, gesturning towards the third Pokemon with her. "He's a Riolu! We rescued him from that terrible Isolated Island!"  
"Hello," Rici said, bowing his head, then he looked at Plasma and Moon. "Thank you once again... I know you went through alot of trouble..." he murmered, looking at a bandage on Moon's arm.  
_I hadn't noticed that... _"Moon, what happened?" Rita asked, still very happy to see her friends.  
"We'll tell you later," Moon said, sounding tired. "Is there dinner?"  
"Around this time... I'm pretty sure dinner is over. We were waiting for you," Smoke said, chuckling.  
"Really?" Moon asked.  
Rita giggled. "Yes, but I saved you two some ramen from last night..." she said.  
"For real? Ramen?" Plasma asked bouncing around. "Let's go inside! I wanna prove to Team Shade that we can do _anything_!" she cheered, then bounded towards the entrance. "C'mon, Rici! We also need to let everyon know your okay!" she said, then disappeared up the stairs.  
Smoke glanced at Moon. "Why is she so cheery...? And your so... depressed...?" he asked.  
Moon sighed. "I'm not depressed... just tired. And Plasma is trying to hide it by acting hyper..." she sighed again. "Lets go inside." Moon also walked towards the steps. Rici followeed her.  
It hurt Rita to see her friends sad, but they needed to get inside. She walked up the stairs, Smoke behind her.  
Plasma was already on the second floor, Moon, Rita, Smoke, and Rici soon following behind her.  
Golbat noticed them, and flew towards them. "So your back? I thought you'd died," he mocked sarcastically.  
"Team Attract dosent die!" Plasma argued, then pointed towards Rici. "We rescued Rici, see?" she said.  
"Yes, thank you..." Rici said again.  
"It was _easy_!" Plasma lied.  
Moon glanced at her, knowing she was lying.  
"Easy? Then why did you take so long?" Golbat asked. "You are the last team to finish... and I really did think you died."  
"Meh? How rude," Plasma answered, a smug look on her face.  
"Whatever... you guys get alot of points anyway..." Golbat glanced at Rici. "So what are we to do with you, hm? Where do you come from?" he asked.  
Rici looked down. "I... I don't know..." he stuttered.  
"Quite quiet, aren't you?" Golbat teased.  
"Leave him alone, Golbat," Moon said. "He says he dosent remember anything about his past."  
_Dosent remember anything...? Could Rici possibly be human? The name Rici sounds somewhat familiar but..._  
"Well, he needs somewhere to stay," Golbat started. "Why don't you hang here untill Lady Pidgeot gets back?" he suggested, then glanced at Plasma. "You can stick with them."  
"See, Rici? Nothing to worry about! You have us with you!" Plasma assured him.  
Rici smiled.  
"I'll let Mightyena and Night know..." Golbat said. "And... I guess you did a good job," he finished, then flew towards the elevator.  
"Well, Rici..." Moon started, then pointed at Smoke and Rita. "These are our friends, Team Meteor."  
Rici nodded.  
"That's Smoke," Moon said, pointing to Smoke. "And that's Rita." Moon pointed to Rita.  
Something flashed through Rici's eyes, then disappeared. "Nice to meet you both..." he said, bowing.  
Rita smiled. "Nice to meet you too... Rici."  
Smoke grunted a hello.  
Rita then turned to Moon and Plasma. "Do you want that ramen? Then I need to tell you some stuff," she said, looking at them both.  
"Alright!" they both said.

•  
Slurping sounds filled the room as Plasma and Moon devoured the ramen.  
"So, what did you wanna tell us?" Moon asked, seeming to be in a better mood.  
Rici was sitting on the cotton bed, quiet.  
"Jet's apparently a human," Smoke blurted out.  
Rita saw Rici's eyes widen, but he didn't say anything.  
"Whaaat?" Plasma asked. "When did you find this out? Arent we like, banned from talking with him and Vapor?"  
"It was earlier today..." Rita started, then explained the story.  
"So what happened in the dream?" Moon asked.  
Rita explained her dream, not leaving out any detail.  
Moon and Plasma were both silent. Rici glanced at Rita. "Rita?" he asked.  
Rita looked at him. "Yeah?"  
"Are you, are human aswell as this Pokemon called _Jet_?" Rici asked.  
_Whoops... _Rita thought, forgetting that Rici was in the room. She sighed. "Yes... but please dont tell anyone else! I dont want rumors flying around."  
Rici's eyes widened. "You may not believe me, but I'm a human too..." he looked at the ground. "I was with some friends... I cant remember their names... and there was a storm, and before I knew it I was on some island..." He let out a sigh. "I found a bottle and put a note in it, and then I realized I was a Riolu..."  
_Another human? Vicky really should have stayed with us when we offered to wait... _  
"Your a human, and you didn't tell us?" Moon asked.  
"I'm sorry... you might have not believed me..." Rici answered, looking to the floor.  
"Feel ashamed!" Plasma scolded.  
"Plasma, be nice!"  
Rita turned to see Victoria stading in the doorway. "It's nice to see your back!" She said, then looked at Rici. "So, we have our own little human club now, dont we?"  
"What do you mean?" Rici asked.  
"I also happen to be human. The name's Victoria, but call me Vicky," Victoria answered, walking in. "Who're you, again?"  
"I'm Rici..."  
"Ah, sounds familiar." Victoria looked at Rita. "Well! Number four! We need to find our last friend now..." She giggled. "And, you should also tell Jet."  
"I'm not aloud to talk with him..." Rita sighed.  
"You find your ways," Victoria answered. "And he dosent know I know, so it would be awkward for him."  
Rita looked at the floor.  
"Who is Jet, anyway?" Rici asked.  
"Jet is a shiny Floatzel...and apparently one of our old friends, and yours too, it seems," Victoria explained.  
"And a Lady Pidgeot was mentioned earlier..." Rici said.  
"Lady Pidgeot is our camp leader," Smoke said, then explained rescue teams, and that Lady Pidgeot was with Exploud looking for a Dewott named Dew.  
Rici nodded.  
"We better get to bed," Plasma yawned, then looked at Rici. "You can sleep in our room. Lady Pidgeot is most likely coming back tomorrow."  
Rici nodded again, then looked at the others. "Have a good night..."  
Victoria smiled, and then left. Rita and Smoke said their goodnights, then headed to their room down the hallway. Smoke layed down on the cotton bed.  
"I'm glad they finally returned!" he laughed, then looked at Rita. "And.. Rici, was it? Do you recgonize him, in any way?" he asked.  
"The name sounds familiar..." Rita replied, trying to think back. _I think... I had a little brother... his name was Rici... _  
"Don't think to hard. Just remember little by little." Smoke smiled. "I'm glad your my partner," he said, yawning. "I'm going to get some sleep... you should do the same." Smoke smiled again, then closed his eyes, and eventually fell asleep.  
Rita looked at the window. There was no rain, for once, so the room was in a complete silence. Rita wasn't tired. She walked into the hallway, feeling a slight draft rub against her skin. She stopped in front of Plasma and Moon's room, and peered inside. Moon and Plasma seemed to be asleep, but Rici was sitting on the edge of the corron bed, staring at the floor. He looked up as he noticed Rita.  
"Hi..." he muttered quietly.  
_Could Rici really be my brother? _Rita asked herself. _Only one way to find out, I suppose... _"Can we talk?" she asked him in a small whisper.  
Rici nodded, and got up, walking towards Rita. The two went back into the hallway.  
"Do you remeber your family, Rici?" Rita asked.  
"I... a little bit..." Rici slowly started. "I know I had a father... and I think I had a sister." He looked down. "I can't exactly remember her name... I-I think it began with an _R..._" He looked at Rita. "I think her name was Rita."  
"Do you think you might be my brother?" Rita asked Rici softly.  
"I-I'm not sure..." he stuttered. "Do you have a brother named _Rici_?"  
"I might have," Rita sighed. "But I can't seem to remember anyone's names'..."  
"Same with me. Except, when I heard your name, and Victoria's... I sorta recgonized it..." Rici replied. "But I didn't recgonize this _Jet _you speak of..."  
"That's because that's not my name."  
Rita turned around to see the silver Floatzel Jet.  
"Who might you be?" Jet asked, looking at Rici.  
Rici bowed his head. "I'm Rici..."  
"He's a human, too," Rita told Jet.  
"Interesting, so we found another one of our group of five..." Jet smiled lightly. "Anyway, I never got a chance to tell you my real name."  
"Real name?" Rici asked. "Are you this _Jet _guy?"  
"Yeah," Rita answered, smiling. "This is Jet. Apparently he's a human too," Rita said to Rici.  
"Nice to meet you..." Rici bowed. "I think I might be... Rita's brother..."  
"Really? Rita, you have a brother?" Jet asked.  
"I cant remember much... but I think so," Rita answered.  
"Alright," Jet huffed. "Anyways, my name is actually Jetson," Jet finally said.  
_Jetson?_  
"But please continue to call me Jet... I like that name better."  
_Jet is Jetson?_


	12. Chapter 11:Lady Pidgeot's ReturnAlone?

Rita's eyes fluttered open. Last night had been hectic. She had found out Rici is most likely her brother, and that Jet is actually Jetson, a friend from her human world. She got up and stretched. She glanced over where Smoke usually was. He wasn't there. Rita got up and looked beside the cotton bed. He wasn't there either.

Rita stepped into thee hallway, and peered into Moon and Plasma's room. They weren't there either, and neither was Rici. She peered into Team Resurrect's room. No one was in there.

She headed into the elevator, wanting to check the twenty first floor.

Rita stepped on to the twenty first floor, and peered in the rooms. No one. She went downstairs, to the second floor. No one was there either. A noise came from outside.  
_Is that them...? _Rita climbed down the stairs, and came outside to see all the teams crowded around Pidgeot. _Pidgeot's back! _Rita pushed her way through the crowd, then realized that Pidgeot had returned alone, with neither Exploud nor Dew.  
Pidgeot looked upset. "While at Shard Mountain, we were unable to rescue Dew," she was saying. "He's still alive, but frozen..."  
"Lady Pidgeot, where is Exploud?" Mightyena spoke up.  
"Exploud..." Pidgeot looked away. "Didn't make it..." A tear rolled down her eye, as all the teams let out a gasp. "Froslass is tough... he pushed me out of the way and got hit by Physic, getting thrown off the top of the mountain..." Pidgeot took a breath. "When I left to find him, he was dead. Exploud is dead."  
_What? _Rita gasped, remembering the few times he had woke her up with his screeching voice. At the time she had found it annoying, but now she suddenly missed it. She looked around the crowd for Smoke, soon spotting him near the front. She walked up next to him. He seemed to be upset.  
"It may be awhile... before Dew is found," Pidgeot sighed, then pushed her way into the camp building. The crowd was left silent at the news.  
After a while, the teams went inside, allwowing Rita to spot her friends. Plasma, Moon, and Rici were near the back, watching everyone go inside. Victoria, Chance, and Flowere were heading inside, along with Jet and Vapor.  
_Poor Jet and Vapor... they still have yet to find their teammate..._  
Smoke sighed. "Wow," was all he said, before going inside. Rita followed him in, trying to take in the news. Plasma and Moon were ahead of them.  
When Rita arrived on the second floor, Pidgeot was in front of the room. "Since we-" Pidgeot stopped herself. "Since I, know the place where Dew currently is, I'll send you all there..." She announced, still seeming shaken.  
"Randomly making decisions isn't like her..." Rita heard a Pokemon mutter. She looked sideways to see a Skitty and Meowth.  
"He's at Shard Mountain. Go there... and get him..." Pidgeot paused, anger flashing through her eyes. "And destroy Froslass. That's...all... you are all dismissed to go to Shard Mountain now. I'll wait here... at the camp..."  
Muttering went through the crowd, as they headed outside.  
"Rita?"  
Rita jumped, as she looked down to see Pidgey. "You promised you'd take me on a mission... can I go to Shard Mountain with you?"  
"What?" Smoke looked over. "No! It's too dangerous for you!"  
"But... you promised! And Exploud was like my dad! I deserve to go!" Pidgey protested.  
"No means no. I'm pretty sure your mother taught you that," Smoke grunted.  
Pidgey looked at Rita.  
"No, I'm sorry..." Rita muttered.  
A sad expression spread across Pidgey's face as he stormed away.  
"Should we be heading out then...?" Smoke asked.  
_Pidgeot's announcement was very random... _"Sure..." Rita answered.

It was raining again, as Rita stepped outside once again. Pidgeot was outside, too, because she had wanted to see the teams off.  
"Everyone!" She tried to get their attention. "Go with another team or two... don't go alone... it's dangerous."  
The teams nodded their agreement.  
_Since we can go with other teams... _Rita looked around for Moon and Plasma, but they had found them first. Plasma glided over to Rita and Smoke, followed by Moon, then Rici.  
"He's coming too," Moon said, pointng to Rici.  
Rici nodded.  
"That'll be fun," Smoke said, smiling. He seemed to be in a better mood for some reason.  
"Hey!"  
Rita turned around to see Vapor, with Jet following behind her.  
"You guys are still normal rank, so you're gonna need us to protect you!" she said.  
"Just because we're normal rank doesn't mean we need protecting!" Plasma argued.  
"Well, we're coming with you guys anyways. It gets boring with just Jet to talk to in dungeons," Vapor laughed.  
"You're not to entertaining yourself," Jet replied, chuckling.  
"I guess now all we need is Team Luck..." Smoke said, smiling.  
"Yes! You _do _need Team Luck, 'cause we'll bring you good luck!" Victoria called from the lower roof of the camp, Chance and Flower next to her. Victoria jumped down, rain falling on her. "So we make our grand entrance, once again!" she yelled in a sing-songy voice. Chance jumped down, and Flower floated down.  
"Ta-da!" Chance yelled, spinning in a circle.  
"Good! Now we have the whole group!" Plasma cheered.  
"Let's head out!" Victoria cheered.

After a few hours of traveling and talking, the ten Pokemon sat down for a rest.  
"I'm _hungry_!" Plasma complained.  
"Well I packed apples for everybody!" Vapor said cheerfully.  
Vapor passed out the apples to everyone, as munching sounds filled the air.  
"Hey..." Rici said, his mouth full of apple. "There's an extra one."  
Vapor looked at the extra apple. "That's for Dew, when we find him..." she said, looking down.  
"I've been wondering, who is Dew?" Rici asked.  
"Dewwy is our other teammate. He's a Pokemon called Dewott, and he was taken by a Pokemon called Froslass," Jet explained. "That's who Lady Pidgeot and Exploud were searching for, and it's who we're going to find."  
"Oh... how did he get taken?" Rici asked.  
"Long... story..." Flower answered quietly. She had been quiet the whole trip until now.  
"You finally decided to speak, eh?" Jet teased.  
"Be nice to Flower!" Chance scolded. "She's just a quiet one! One day she's gonna strike back, and it'll hurt!"  
Everyone laughed.  
_How great. Everyone seems to be in a good and happy mood, even though Exploud died, and we have yet to find Dew_... Rita took a bite of her tasty apple, the juices flooding her mouth.  
"Do we get rescue points if we bring Dew back?" Moon asked.  
"Of course! You get rescue points for everything!" Vapor answered.  
"Yeah. Stupid Moon," Plasma laughed.  
"Your one to talk!" Moon argued.  
"I'm thirsty..." Rita complained.  
"So am I..." Jet agreed.  
"So is Vicky!" Chance said, pointing to Victoria.  
Victoria nodded.  
"Why are you speaking for her?" Rita asked.  
"While you guys were all talking, me and Vicky made a bet that she couldn't not talk for two days straight!" Chance explained, laughing. "So I'll be her speaker! She is thirsty!"  
"So am I..." Rici said.  
"Alright!" Jet said, as he clasped his paw together. "We'll go look for some water. You guys can hang here!"  
"Alright," Smoke agreed.  
"Kaaaay!" Plasma said.  
"Don't die!" Vapor giggled.  
Victoria stood up, Chance following her, followed by Rita and then Jet. The three Pokemon walked into a forest.  
"So..." Rici started. "What kind of water are we looking for?"  
"A lake or something," Jet answered.  
"How descriptive," Rita laughed.  
"Vicky says she likes Rici," Chance said randomly.  
"Hm? Mmm-mmm!" Victoria mumbled, shaking her head left to right, trying not to speak.  
"Oh how cute, Vicky," Jet narrowed his eyes, smirking.  
Rici was quiet, his face a light pink. "Making up lies is mean," he muttered.  
"Oh, it's no lie!" Chance laughed.  
"Chance your being unfair!" Rita told her, giggling. "Poor Vicky can't defend herself!"  
Victoria nodded her head in agreement, her eyes filled with anger and playfulness. She let out a small puff of fire at Chance.  
"Ow!" Chance yelped.  
Jet laughed. "She can still use her moves."  
Rita laughed. Chance wasn't a human like the rest of them, but even if she wasn't, Rita felt happy around her, just like she did with Smoke, Plasma, Moon, and Vapor. _I guess it doesn't matter what or who you are... _  
"Is that a lake?" Rici asked, breaking her thoughts. Rita wondered if Rici was this quiet and shy when he was a human, or if he teased her and pulled pranks on her.  
"Huh?" Jet looked up. "Why yes. Yes it is."  
"Alright!" Chance exclaimed, taking out a pack. "We'll throw some o' that stuff in my pack here, and take it back to everyone!" she announced.  
"Okay..." Jet said, snatching the pack from her. He dipped it in the lake, and soon it filled up with water. "Your carrying it back," he told Chance, handing it to her. He then walked to the edge of the shore and jumped in the water.  
"We're going swimming?" Rici asked.  
"I guess so," Rita answered, then looked at the lake.  
Jet's head popped up above the surface. "It's warm!" he called.  
_I haven't been swimming for quite a while..._  
A big splash echoed through the forest as Chance jumped in the water, followed by Rici.  
Rita walked to the edge and peered in the water. It seemed Rici had disappeared underwater. Suddenly, a blue shape appeared in front of her face and dragged her in the water. Rita felt water flood up her nose. She swam to the surface, gasping. She opened her eyes to see Rici laughing.  
"You should've seen your face!" he laughed.  
Chance was giggling too.  
"Rici she could have drowned!" Jet complained, looking scared. "Are you alright?"  
Rita spit out water. "Never better!" she laughed too.  
"Since when do you care so much?" Rici teased.  
"Well we can't have her drowning on us, can we?" Jet replied, looking away.  
"C'mon, Vicky! Get in the water!" Chance was calling to Vicky, who was violently shaking her head 'no'.  
"Well, she is a fire type..." Rici pointed out. "Were you afraid of water as a human?" he asked Victoria.  
Victoria nodded, and Chance started laughing. "It's just water!"  
"C'mon Chance leave her alone," Jet laughed.  
Something dropped in the water from the tree looming overhead, plopping in the water.  
"What was that?" Rici asked.  
The thing that fell popped it's head out of the water. It was a small orange bug.  
_Is that... Weedle? _  
Weedle was quiet for a moment, before flailing around. "I cant swim! Help me!" he cried.  
Rita laughed and picked him up. She swam to the side and put him on the shore.  
"Hey..." he said, peering at Rita. "Your that Delcatty that rescued me from the ivy cave, right?"  
Rita nodded her head, smiling. She didn't think she would see Weedle ever again.  
"What are you doing here? It's so far from the camp!" Weedle asked in a squeaky voice.  
"We are still looking for Dew..." Rita explained, and told Weedle what had happened with Pidgeot and Exploud.  
"Ouch... that must be hard on you guys..." Weedle sighed.  
"Yes, but we are planning to get revenge on Froslass..." Jet growled.  
Weedle turned around to look at him. "You dont mean you're gonna kill her?" he asked, stunned.  
"We have no choice..." Jet muttered. "She kidnapped my teammate and killed Exploud. She deserves to die."  
"Murder is never the answer..." Weedle murmured.  
Before Jet had a chance to reply, Rita spoke. "So, Weedle, is this where you live?"  
"Yep! I live in that tree up there with my brother and dad!" Weedle cheered, looking at the tree. "But Dad is out somewhere... he didn't tell us where."  
"I see..." Rita said.  
"We should get going..." Jet said. "We've been gone a while..." He glanced at Rita, then back at Weedle. "We need to hurry to Shard Mountain."  
"Shard Mountain? Can I come?" Weedle begged.  
"Weedle it's too dangerous for you..." Rita sighed.  
"But I've _never _been on a rescue mission, except my own!" Weedle cried. "And there's alot of you here that could protect me!"  
"Alright!" Chance said. "You can come with. We need to go back anyways."  
"Tell your family," Rici told Weedle.  
"Nah they don't care," Weedle said, seeming happy. "A rescue mission, yay!"  
"Okay... let's go back then..." Jet said, getting out of the lake.  
"Kay!" Weedle replied happily.

"Your _finally _back!" Plasma complained. "You took forever!"  
"Well, we got water..." Rici replied.  
"Good! Now let's move!" Vapor said.  
"Hey, is that Weedle?" Plasma asked.  
"Yeah... he's coming with us," Rita replied.  
Weedle hopped on Rita's head and climbed on Plasma's back. "It's nice to see you!" he cheered.  
"You too!" Plasma smiled.  
"We should get going if we wanna get to Shard Mountain," Jet said.  
"Alright!" Vapor said, getting up and stretching. "Soon we'll have Dew with us again!"

Rita yawned, and glanced at the pink and purple colored sky. The colors seemed to dance around with one another, the clouds watching.  
"I wonder what it's like to fall into a cloud..." Rita wondered out loud.  
"You'd fall right through," Jet answered. "Clouds are made of water."  
"Really?" Rita asked. She never knew that.  
"How do you think it rains?" Moon asked, giggling.  
Rita's face turned red in embarrassment. "Well... I always thought that rain just fell from space or something..."  
The group of Pokemon laughed.  
"Meteors fall from space, not rain," Moon laughed.  
"I'm surprised you wouldn't know that, being a human and all..." Vapor said, grinning.  
"Just because I'm a human doesn't mean I know this stuff!" Rita argued. "I never really paid attention in school..." Rita said, then noticed Smoke, Plasma, Moon, Chance, Vapor, and Flower's puzzled faces.  
"What's _school_?" Flower asked.  
"It's a human thing," Rici answered.  
"I wanna go to school!" Plasma said, laughing.  
"No you don't..." Jet sighed.  
"Why not?" Plasma huffed, crossing her arms.  
"Trust me... you don't..." Jet replied, chuckling.  
"Rita?"  
Rita looked around to see Smoke looking at her.  
"Do you remember more, since you seem to remember this 'school' thing?" he asked.  
_Now that I think about it... I can remember more of my memories since Plasma and Moon found Rici... _Rita thought. "Yeah... I do..."  
"Can you remember anything else that happened on the night of that storm?"  
"I... I don't know..." Rita stuttered. Suddenly, a a vision of a storm went through Rita's mind.  
A girl was holding on to a wheel of some sort, on a boat, and there was someone next to her. He seemed to be trying to get her to stop the boat. Three other people were holding on to the edge of the boat, as it rocked back and forth in the waves.  
"You need to stop the boat, Rita!" a boy shouted above the thunder. Rita recognized the voice as Rici's.  
"No! This is fun! Keep going Rita! Don't listen to him!" a girl's voice shouted cheerfully. Rita recognized the voice as Victoria's.  
"No, Rita," the boy next to Rita was saying. "We're all going to die if you don't turn around!" he said, shaking her. Rita recognized him as Jetson.  
"We need to put a stop to this insane Palkia!" the human Rita shouted. "I will _not _turn this boat around!"  
"Lilli!" a Pokemon squeaked beside the human Rita, tugging on her shirt. "Lili lili!"  
"If you don't stop then there will be no one to stop him!" another voice shouted. Rita couldn't recognize it.  
_Is that the fifth one? _Rita asked herself. The five friends continued to shout, and suddenly Rita saw a flash of lightning, and everything was gone. Blackness covered the vision, and Rita found herself stranded in the ocean. She tried swimming, but kept drifting below the surface. Rain poured down on her.  
_What's happening? _Rita asked herself, breathing in water. She felt her body sink into the dark ocean, as her world went blank.  
Rita then opened her eyes to see a Quilava looming over her. "There you go!" he said. "Your awake!"  
_Smoke?_  
Rita fully opened her eyes. "Where am I?" she asked out loud, looking around.  
_Crystal Beach? Why am I back here?_  
"Who are you?" Smoke asked.  
Rita looked at him. "Smoke? It's me, Rita!"  
Smoke looked confused. "I don't know any Ritas'... and what a weird name for a Delcatty! And how do you know my name?"  
"I'm your rescue team partner! Remember?"  
Smoke looked confused. "I haven't formed a rescue team yet."  
_What is happening? _  
Suddenly, the image of Smoke slowly disappeared.  
"What? Smoke! Don't go!" Rita cried. Crystal Beach then turned into darkness, and a dark figure appeared in front of her, where Smoke was.  
"You again!" Rita gasped.  
The figure giggled. "Was it fun?" it asked.  
"Was what fun?"  
"Reliving the moment when you were thrown off your boat, and awakening to find yourself as a Delcatty?" The figure giggled again, and spun around.  
"That... it felt like I died!" Rita rasped, noticing she was spitting out water.  
"You did die," the figure said.  
"What? But I'm here right now! And with Smoke and Jet and Plasma..." Rita coughed up more water. "And what's with this water?"  
"The human you died, and so did everyone else," the figure said.  
"What?"  
"Your human body is at the bottom of the ocean, along with Jet, Victoria, Rici, and your other friend."  
"B-But... that's impossible! I'm here! Me!"  
_I'm not dead!_  
"Your spirit was reincarnated into a Delcatty's body," the figure explained.  
"What?"  
"That's not your body, Rita. Your soul is currently using it, but it doesn't belong to you."  
"S-So there's another spirit in this body? It's not mine!"  
"Correct and incorrect. The spirit that was previously inside that body died from poisoning," the figure said.  
"What about Rici, Jet, and Vicky?" Rita asked.  
"Them also. They also drowned."  
"What about the Pokemon that was with my human form?"  
The figure paused. "She died also... but she was not brought back."  
"What? So... so my Pokemon is dead? I'll never see her again?" Rita gasped.  
"Not exactly..." the figure replied, appearing more visual.  
Rita noticed features on the figure. She seemed to be a Pokemon... with a greenish dress, and she seemed to have a flower growing on her head.  
_Is that the Pokemon that was with the human me? _"Why were me and everyone else brought back to life?" Rita finally asked.  
"Because..." the figure said, starting to disappear. "You five... are the only ones that can stop it..." She fully disappeared.  
"Wait tell me more!" Rita cried. A light suddenly shone in front of her. She saw the figure of a Floatzel.  
_Jet? _  
Rita's eyes shot open.  
"Rita! Are you alright?"  
Rita looked to the left to see Smoke, looking frantic with fear.  
"I-I'm fine..." Rita replied.  
"What happened?" Jet asked. He looked extremely worried.  
Rita explained her vision, then the encounter with the strange Pokemon-like figure, not letting out a single detail. She explained how the human bodies were dead, and that the bodiess they were in belonged to a dead Pokemon.  
"So your telling me I'm inside a dead Riolu's body?" Rici asked, looking at his paws. "Ick!"  
"So Vicky's body belonged to another Vulpix?" Flower asked.  
Victoria looked disgusted as she glanced at her paws.  
"Well it's what the figure told me..." Rita replied.  
"So who owned your bodies before?" Smoke asked.  
"I don't know... Rita sighed.  
"What are we supposed to stop, exactly?" Jet asked.  
"I don't know!" Rita snapped. "I would've told you all if I did!"  
"Sorry..." Jet replied.  
"N-No I'm sorry..." Rita sighed. "We need to find the fifth person anyway..."  
"We'll do that once we bring Dew back," Vapor stepped in. "We should get going, and sort everything out later.  
"Right," Rita answered.  
"Okay," Jet mumbled.  
"Mmm kay," Rici said, seeming to be less shy now.  
Victoria nodded her head.

•  
After a long four hours, the eleven Pokemon stopped for the night.  
Plasma pointed at the sky. "See that star? The one shining brighter then the others? That's Team Attract!" she said cheerfully, then laughed.  
Rita looked up. _That's the star I saw when I first joined... _She squinted. It really was shining brighter then all the others. "Nope!" she said to Plasma. "That's Team Meteor!"  
"Lies!" Plasma replied.  
"Yeah, Rita, why would you tell such lies?" Vapor asked.  
"That's not either of your teams, that's Team Water Pulse," Jet explained.  
"Duh!" Vapor added.  
Chance stepped in. "That's where your _all _wrong!" she said.  
"It's Team Luck!" Flower cheered.  
"It's none of you, because it's me!" Rici yelled playfully.  
Moon giggled. "It's all of us put together!" she sang.  
"I guess we can agree on that," Smoke laughed.  
As everyone talked, except for Victoria, who made a bet to be quiet, Rita looked at the sky again. A light shot across the sky. Rita gasped. "A shooting star! Make a wish!" she shouted.  
Everyone Everyone's heads turned towards the sky.  
"I wish for a million dollars!" Plasma shouted.  
"Dummy!" Moon yelled at her. "You aren't supposed to tell anyone your wish, or else it wont come true!"  
"I didn't tell you guys, I shouted it outload to myself!" Plasma argued.  
"That doesn't change anything! We still heard it!" Moon yelled back.  
As the two argued, Rita tried to think of her wish.  
_I wish... I wish my human family is alright... _Visions went through Rita's head, one of a girl and boy being pulled out of the ocean, and one of a adult man crying as they were pulled to shore.  
_Dad?_  
The man had shoulder length brown hair, and tears were running down his face. "I told them not to go... I told them!" he sobbed.  
Three other bodies were pulled out of the water. A woman with ankle length dark red hair ran up to one of the bodies, along with a small girl with amber hair. "My darling Victoria..." she cried, her make up dripping don her face along with her tears.  
_Vicky's mom and sister?_  
An older man walked over to the fourth body. "My, my, Jetson... look what you've gotten yourself into..." Tears ran down his rosy cheeks.  
_Jetson's grandfather?_  
Finally, a woman with ear-length blonde hair, and twin boys, each with short black hair, walked up to the fifth body. "How stupid of you..." the woman muttered, tears falling down her face. "To go on a boat... in the middle of a thunderstorm..."  
"Stupid Kee..." one of the twin boys sobbed.  
"You should have known better..." the other said, crying.  
_Is that fifth? The one we're searching for?_  
All of the sudden, the vision disappeared, and Rita was back with everybody.  
Plasma and Moon were still arguing, while Chance, Flower,Smoke, Vapor, and Weedle were watching. Victoria, Jet, and Rici seemed to be in a trance. All at once, they snapped out of it. Rita caught Jet's eye. Just by looking at him, she could tell he had the same vision. She looked at Rici an Victoria. They had it too.  
"You know what?" Plasma was asking.  
"What?" Moon retorted.  
"I am right, and you are wrong!"  
"No. I'm right!" Moon shouted.  
"Okaaaaay," Smoke said, stepping between the two. "That's enough fighting!" he laughed.  
"I'm just letting Plasma know her wish isn't coming true," Moon replied in an innocent voice.  
"Will too!" Plasma fired back.  
"Will not!"  
"Will too!"  
"Will not!"  
"It so will! And when it does you'll be like, 'Oh, my lord Plasma, I'm so sorry for doubting you!'" Plasma said in a girly voice.  
"I don't sound like that!" Moon replied.  
"Ya huh!"  
"Nu uh!"  
"Ya huh!"  
"Oh my..." Rici sighed, walking over next to Rita and sitting down. "They sound like siblings fighting," he said, laughing slightly. He then looked at Rita. "Do you think we ever fought like them?" he asked, giggling.  
"Probably," Rita laughed. "All siblings do."  
The two laughed. There was a silence, except for Plasma and Moon's fighting.  
"Did you see it too?" Rici finally asked.  
"Yes..." Rita sighed.  
"Poor dad... I feel so bad..." Rici said.  
"I only wish we could tell him we are alright..." Rita said, a tear rolling down her cheek.  
"Hey, sis, don't cry!" Rici said, giving her a hug. "We'll tell him somehow!" he said reassuringly.  
"If you say so..." Rita sighed, more tears streaming down her face. She hoped no one else noticed. "I'll be back..." Rita said, getting up, letting Rici's hands fall down.  
Rita walked deep into the forest. She sat facing a tree as tears went down her face.  
"Poor dad.." she sobbed. "Thinks I'm dead... his only children dead..." she took a breath. "All he has and he thinks we're dead! It's not fair!" she cried, punching the tree.  
She then felt someone hug her.  
"Don't just run off..." Rita recognized the voice as Jet's.  
"It's not fair..." Rita cried. "They're probably all depressed, and we are still alive!" she sobbed. "It's all my fault for not turning around that stupid boat..."  
Rita felt Jet's grip tighten. "It's not your fault," he said. "Don't say that. You did what you were supposed to do," Jet said. "And if you did turn around that boat you would have never met Moon or Plasma or Smoke... You did the correct thing. Everything happens for a reason!" he finished.  
"Even if it was supposed to happen, it's still unfair that our families don't know!" Rita cried.  
"They'll find out somehow..." Jet replied, pulling his arms back. "Lets go... Smoke was really worried about you."  
Rita turned around, not meeting his gaze. "Alright," she finally said.

•  
Rita yawned, and stared at the star covered night sky. She was lying on her back, the grass pressing against her skin. Smoke was beside her snoring, while Plasma and Moon were on the other side of her sleeping quietly. Rici was next to Jet, and Vapor was with Chance, Flower, and Victoria. Everyone was asleep, except for Rita.  
_Why am I the only one who cant ever fall asleep? _Rita asked herself. The vision of her dad finding her and Rici's dead human bodies filled her mind. _Poor daddy... _Rita sighed, wanting to fall asleep. Her wish came true, as she slowly drifted into a dark sleep.

•  
"Well, we're finally here!" Vapor announced, looking straight up.  
Rita looked up too. In front of her was a huge mountain, the top hidden in the clouds. A cold chill blew through the wind.  
"Another icey place?" Plasma asked. "When do we get a break?"  
"Is this Shard Mountain?" Weedle asked in a squeaky voice.  
"Yep..." Jet huffed, his breath showing from the cold. "Now lets go... it's about time Dew was rescued."  
The eleven Pokemon then walked inside Shard Mountain, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead in the huge mountain.


	13. Chapter 12: Journey Into Shard Mountain

Rita felt another chill go down her spine, as the eleven Pokémon made their way through Shard Mountain. The only sound was silence. There were no cries from other Pokemon, no sound of water dripping, nothing.  
"This place gives me the creeps..." Plasma said, sneezing.  
"A-A-A d-dungeon shouldn't b-b s-so s-silent..." Chace remarked, shivering. She walked ahead. "L-Lets h-hurry up so w-we can g-g-get out of h-here..."  
Suddenly, a lamp-like Pokemon appeared in front of them. It had what appeared to be a purple flame burning inside of it.  
"What are you doing here?" he said in a deep, startling voice.  
"We have come looking for Froslass!" Vapor said. "She had kidnapped one of our teammates and we are here to get him back!"  
"_Another _rescue team?" the Pokemon scoffed. "So you have also come looking for that blue Pokemon up there? Miss Froslass has him frozen at the peak." The Pokémon laughed. "We can't let anyone else bother Miss Froslass."  
"_We_? Who are you?" Smoke asked.  
The Pokémon laughed. "My name is Lampent. And they..." Ten triangle-like Pokémon came out from behind the icy walls. "Are my pack of Snorunt." Lampent laughed again. "We can't let anyone else give Miss Froslass trouble- she's still recovering from her last battle with another pathetic rescue team."  
"We don't want trouble! We just want our teammate back!" Vapor argued.  
"Hold on, Vapor," Jet started. "I don't know about you, but I plan on destroying Froslass."  
"Destroy Miss Froslass...?" Lampent seemed shocked. "Why would you want to do that?"  
"Because she took our teammate, and she killed our co-camp leader!" Jet growled.  
"She did not kill him, he fell down the mountain die to his clumsiness. And Miss Froslass only froze your friend because that's what she does!" Lampent said.  
"Whatever! We will destroy her, and you, if you stand in our way!" Jet snapped.  
"I will protect Miss Froslass at the cost of my life," Lampent said. "Bring it on."  
The ten Snorunt jumped at Rita's group. Rita fell down as one of the Snorunt tackled her. Rita jumped up and growled, charging at the Snorunt.  
The Snorunt easily dodged, and shot back an ice beam.  
Rita felt the ice hit her front right leg, freezing it to the ground.  
_Ack! Just what I need... _  
Rita looked glanced around her to see each of the group- including Weedle- fighting a Snorunt, except for Jet who was having a show down with Lampent. Rita saw Plasma get thrown against the wall, and fall to the ground. She slowly got up, and Rita noticed a drop of red trickling down Plasma's right arm.  
_P-Plasma! _  
A thunk to Rita's head snapped her back towards the Snorunt. Rita got ready for a strong tackle, but then remembered that her leg was frozen to the rocky earth inside the mountain.  
_Long distance attacks will have to do for now!_  
Rita threw a shocking thunderbolt at the Snorunt. It got hit, and gritted it's teeth. It didn't seem like Snorunt was prepared for that. Snorunt glared at her, and before she knew it she was getting hit multiple times by multiple tackles.  
_If this keeps up I'm done for... _Pain shot through Rita's body as she got hit again. She then remembered Exploud's words.  
_"Attacks that dont usually work, have been working and causing more damage. You'll have to be careful." _  
Rita then felt a cold snowy feeling form on the inside of her mouth. She released it.  
_Blizzard! _She silently cheered.  
The Snorunt flew back against the wall, and fell to the ground. It seemed knocked out.  
Rita looked around again, spotting Weedle. Weedle was taking damage from multiple ice beams from another Snorunt. Rita tried to move to help him, but she couldn't move her leg.  
_This is so uncool! _Rita struggled, moving her leg from side to side, trying to get it out of the ice's grasp. As she struggled, five more Snorunt appeared in front of her.  
_Crap! _  
All the sudden, she felt the ice around her leg turn to water. She looked down, as flames melted the ice. Rita turned around to see Victoria running towards her. Rita felt her leg loosen up enough to pull it out.  
"Thanks!" Rita yelled to Victoria, who was now beside her.  
Victoria nodded, smiling.  
_She's still keeping her bet... _Rita guessed, as Victoria threw a raging flamethrower at the newly arrived five Snorunt.  
Each of the Snorunt got hit, but didn't take much damage. They all used ice beam at once.  
Once again, Rita felt ice bubble up in her mouth, as she countered with a blizzard. Her blizzard pushed back the other Snorunt's ice beams, sending them all flying. The got up and ran.  
"Help me!" Rita heard Weedle squeak.  
Rita looked back at Weedle, who was cornered by three Snorunt and a Snover.  
_When did they get here?_  
The Snorunt and Snover seemed to be charging up for an attack. Weedle was cowering, bracing himself for the attack. The four ice Pokemon unleashed their attacks.  
"AAAAIIIIEEEEE!" Weedle screamed. There was a loud bang, and smoke filled the air. As the smoke cleared, Rita saw Weedle shaking in the corner.  
_He's okay! _  
Rita then turned her attention to the large orange Pokemon standing in front of Weedle. It seemed to have blocked the attacks. Everyone, including Lampent and the Snorunt, turned to face the orange Pokemon. It was a Raichu.  
The Raichu turned to look at Weedle. "You okay kid?" he asked.  
Weedle opened his eyes, and looked up at the Raichu.  
"I-I... I'm fine..." Weedle stuttered. "W-who are you, and thanks..." he said.  
_What amazing strength..._  
The Raichu grinned. "The name's Rae! And no problemo!" Rae glared at Lampent, who looked paralyzed with fear.  
"Y-you!" Lampent stammered. "Why are you here?"  
"I little Pidgey told me what was happening here... apparently he's been following this group here!" Rae said, laughing. He then glared at Lampent. "I suggest you leave these ones alone, unless you want to end up like these guys..." Rae pointed to the Snorunt and the Snover, who were lying on the ground, not moving.  
A fearful expression crossed Lampent's face. "W-what did you do to them?" he asked.  
"Naw, I didn't kill them or anything... they'll just be out for a few hours. Now, let this group pass," Rae demanded.  
"Never! We cannot allow you to interfere with Miss Froslass's plan!" Lampent screeched.  
_Plan...? _  
"If you must... we'll take you out," Rae said, looking around at the teams. "What do you say we form a little alliance, right here and now?" he asked.  
"An alliance with the great Rae... I could not turn down such an option!" Moon squealed, her cheeks red from the cold.  
_The great Rae? _  
"I guess that's a yes from you then..." Rae looked turned around, looking at the rest of the group. "What about you all?"  
"If it gets us up to Froslass, then yeah..." Jet said.  
Everyone else nodded.  
"Do what you wish! We will not let you pass!" Lampent yelled, as six more Snorunt appeared behind him.  
_How many Snorunt are there? _Rita asked herself. She looked over at Rae, who was staring at her with a suspicious look. He then smiled and nodded.  
_He seems... familiar... _  
The Snorunt then attacked. Lampent retired from battling Jet, to battling Rae.  
Rita looked at Smoke, who was now battling two Snorunt. She was about to leap over to help, but Flower soon appeared beside him, wiping both Snorunt out with a powerful physic attack.  
_Woah! I didn't realize she was that strong!_  
Rita turned her attention to wher Victoria was standing, but she was gone. Rita frantically looked around for her, and soon spotted her fighting beside Chance. Rita then soon spotted Vapor battling a Snorunt, and Jet defeating one not to far from where Rita was. Moon was next to Plasma, taking on three of the ice Pokemon. Rita looked for Weedle, but didn't spot him until she looked down.  
"Are you okay, Weedle?" Rita asked him.  
"Yes... can I please stay with you? I cant take on much of these Snorunt by myself..." he sighed.  
"Sure," Rita ansered, and Weedle climbed on top of her head.  
Two Snorunt charged at Rita, and this time she was ready. She threw another blizzard at them, and watched them fall back.  
As quick as the battle seemed to happen, it quickly ended. The floor soon cleared, leaving Lampet and three Snorunt. Rita's leg was throbbing from where it was frozen to the ground.  
A scream then echoed through the clearing.  
"_CHANCE!" _it screeched, like a woman i a horror movie.  
Rita quickly recognized the scream as Vicky's.  
"CHANCE!" she repeated.  
Rita turned her head to see Victoria standing next to a pile of frozen rocks, looking terrified. One of the Snorunt was smiling happily.  
Rita ran over to where Victoria was, followed by everyone else. Rae stopped fighting Lampent and turned around, while Lampent looked over too.  
"What's wrong?" Smoke asked.  
"Chance! She... she... was buried under... these rocks..." Victoria tried to say. "I-it happened so quickly.. I-I couldn't stop it...she pushed... me out of the way..."  
Flower appeared beside her, then used physic to lift the rocks off of Chance. As Flower threw the rocks aside, Rita gasped. Chance was in a pool of blood, looking broken and crushed. Everyone was quiet, except for Flower and Victoria running up beside Chance's crushed body.  
"Wake up!" Victoria screeched.  
Chance slowly opened her eyes, scanning everyone. "What... happened?" she asked, coughing up blood.  
"Rocks... fell... on top of you..." Victoria tried to explain.  
"Oh... I guess I'm pretty broken and bloddy then? Heh... figures..." Chance replied, grinning. "Weak me... terrible defense... but I'm glad your okay, Vicky!" Chance said, somewhat laughing.  
"No!" Vicky argued. "You saved me!" Tears ran down her face.  
"Viiiiccckkkkyyyy why are you crying?" Chance asked. She turned to Flower. "Make sure to keep Vicky safe, kay?"  
"W-what? You're gonna be okay..." Flower started.  
"No.. I'm done for. My time is up!" Chance said, in a sing-songy voice.  
_What? She's dying?_  
"What? No... you're gonna be fine!" Victoria said, digging into her bag, and taking out cloths. "W-we'll just patch up your wounds..."  
"No, Vicky, it won't work..." Chance started, then looked at Rita, Rici, and Jet. "You three... all knew Vicky before... make sure she stays out of trouble!" She looked at Vapor, Smoke, Plasma, and Moon. "Find Dew, and bring him back safely..."  
Rita tried to speak, but nothing came out.  
_No! She can't be dying... She can't!_  
Chance turned back to Victoria, who was still crying. "And Vicky?" she started.  
Vicky looked at her, tears streaming down her face.  
"I... I won the bet." Chance grinned, and then slowly closed her eyes.  
"No..." Victoria muttered. "This isn't fair!" she cried. She put her cloths on Chance's body. "Here! Your fine! Smile! The bleeding will stop! It's all good!"  
Rita looked at her friend with tears in her eyes.  
"Stop..." Flower eventually said. "Victoria she's gone. Dead. There's nothing we can do..."  
"That's a lie! She's just playing a trick on us..." Victoria said, pulling out more cloths, along with some Oran Berries.  
Rae appeared beside her. "Stop it," he said. "Your friend is gone."  
Victoria looked up at him. "Why?" she asked.  
"Because of this fighting..." he replied, then turned to Lampent. "See the trouble you have caused?" he asked. "They just wanted to rescue one of their friends, and you had to stand in their way, and because of that this Chansey has died."  
A guilty expression crossed Lampents face. "Uh...I..." He turned away. "You may... pass." Lampent then looked at the remaining Snorunt. "Leave them be..." he said, then vanished.  
"Ghost types..." Rae sighed, then looked at Chance's body. "Let her rest in peace..."  
"Is Chance really... gone?" Plasma asked a sad expression on her face.  
"Yes," Rae replied. "She's gone, for the fifth time."  
"Alright..." Victoria said, standing up. "Lets... get moving..."  
"Your gonna shrug it off, just like that?" Vapor asked.  
"It's what Chance wanted... to save Dew... so lets go..." Victoria replied.  
"What about her body?" Moon asked.  
"We'll leave it for now..." Victoria replied. "We always can come back."  
"Okay, if that's what you want..." Jet said.  
"Mind if I join you? It's been quite some time since I've been on an exploration, let alone a rescue mission," Rae asked.  
"Of course! The Great Rae is always welcome to join us!" Vapor said.  
"Thank you, miss," Rae said, bowing. "While we are walking, I'd like to learn your names."  
The group of Pokemon walked through the mountain, each sharing their names with Rae.  
"May I know your name, miss?" Rae eventually asked Rita.  
Rita was still very upset about losing Chance. She knew Victoria must be even sadder. Rita just wanted to go over to her friend and strangle her with a hug. "I'm Rita..." Rita finally said.  
"Oh, what a pretty name for such a pretty lady!" Rae said cheerfully.  
"Thank you..." Rita said.  
"You fought pretty well back there, miss Rita. And you looked gorgeous while fighting!" Rae sang.  
"Thanks," Rita replied. "And thank you for saving Weedle."  
Weedle nodded, no on Plasma's back.  
"Oh, no problem. You are all very welcome," Rae said. He turned back to Rita. "Do you have any plans after we're all done here?" he asked her.  
_Is he flirting with me? _  
Before Rita had a chance to answer, Jet interrupted them. "So, Rae, what are you doing here anyway?" Jet asked him.  
"Like I told you all earlier, your friend Pidgey told me what was happening, so I came running. Even if your all strangers, I'm part of a rescue team... or used to be..." Rae explained.  
"Used to be?" Plasma asked.  
"Are you like, retired?" Moon asked Rae.  
"No, no. I'm now my own rescue team. My partner, Pici, passed away not to long ago," Rae replied.  
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.." Moon said.  
_Why so many deaths? Why?_  
"No, no. It's fine," Rae said.  
Smoke leaned in close to Rita. "Poor Vicky and Flower..." he whispered.  
Rita looked over at Flower and Victoria, who each had a depressed look on their faces. "Yeah..." Rita whispered back.  
"So!" Rae interrupted their conversation. "Smoke, right? Are you Rita's partner?" he asked.  
"Yeah," Smoke replied.  
Rae smiled. "Cool, is anyone else on your team?"  
"No, just us," Smoke answered.  
"A two Pokémon team then? That's how I was," Rae said, smiling.  
"I think we're almost there..." Vapor said.  
Rita looked _up_. She felt snow blowing against her face. There was a dim light at the end of the path ahead.  
_So... this is where we face Froslass. She has proven to be strong but... I have everyone with me! _Rita then let out a sigh. _Except for Chance... but... she died for Vicky. So that we could make it this far..._  
"Is everyone... ready?" Jet asked, as they stopped in front of the exit. "There's no telling if Froslass has other Pokemon working for her, like Lampent or anyone else. For all we know, Lampent could be waiting with her for us," Jet explained. "We also cant go charging in. Froslass might not even be there. What we really want to do is get Dew out of his frozen state." Jet turned to Smoke, then Victoria. "You two will melt the ice, while the rest of us fight," he told them.  
"Right!" Smoke said.  
"Right..." Victoria said dully.  
"If Froslass is waiting at the end, we have no choice but to charge in. But... if she is not there, Smoke and Vicky, focus on melting the ice," Vapor said.  
Smoke and Victoria nodded.  
"Right... so, we goin in?" Rae asked.  
"Let's whoop some butt!" Plasma said, punching the air.  
"Let's break some bones!" Rici said cheerfully.  
"We'll avenge Exploud and Chance!" Flower cheered.  
"I won't be a coward this time!" Weedle said in a squeaky voice.  
The group charged in.  
_Is this really a good idea? _Rita asked herself. Something grabbed her. She whipped around, to see Jet.  
"I want you to stay out here," he said.  
"What? Why?" Rita asked.  
"You... um, can be look out," Jet replied.  
"I wanna fight!" Rita argued.  
"Well, _I _don't want you to. And we need a look out," Jet said.  
"Fine..." Rita huffed. She didn't like how Jet was bossing her around.  
Jet smiled. "Good," he said, and then charged outside with the rest of the Pokemon.  
_Look out... how boring... _Rita sighed.  
"Left... out here?" a ghostly voice asked.  
"Who's there?" Rita called. Her voice echoed through the mountain cave. A chill went down her spine. Not from the cold, but from fear. Something didn't seem right.  
"That group of yours... they seemed confident. But, you are alone now," the voice said.  
"Show yourself!" Rita demanded.  
"If you wish!" the voice said, giggling.  
About five feet away from Rita, a white Pokemon appeared. It appeared to be wearing a kimono.  
"F-Froslass!" Rita gasped.  
"Yep!" Froslass said, grinning. "They expect me to be out there... but I'm not that dumb!" Froslass giggled.  
_Is she going to freeze me?_  
"Dont worry, Rita. I won't hurt you," Froslass said.  
"Then... why did you freeze Dew... and kill Exploud?" Rita asked.  
"That wasn't me... that was my sister," Froslass said.  
"There's... two of you?" Rita gasped.  
"Yes..." Froslass said. "My sister... she... she's being manipulated by... Dark Palkia."  
"Dark...Palkia?" _Palkia... that name sounds..._  
The memory of the vision went through Rita's head.  
_"We need to put a stop to this insane Palkia!" the human Rita shouted. "I will _not_ turn this boat around!"_  
_Back there... the human me was talking about a Palkia..._  
"Yes. Dark Palkia used to be... normal Palkia. Because of the recent problems with type matchups, it has caused corruption in space, Palkia's domain. All of these have caused a dark void to open up in space. Palkia was sucked into it, and returned as Dark Palkia. He now wants to end all life as we know it," Froslass finished.  
_Dark Palkia... is who we were going after? _  
"Dark Palkia has manipulated many Pokemon, such as my sister, and a legendary Pokemon called Kyurem. He has also... manipulated Zekrom and Reshiram."  
_Zekrom... and Reshiram? The Pokemon of blazing fire and shocking lightning... The two from the legend?_  
"It may be alot to take in... but it's the truth," Froslass said. "Your frozen friend... and Exploud's death is not my sister's fault. She's hypnotized!"  
"What about... you?" Rita asked.  
"Me? I came here to try to bring my sister back to her real home... it appears she's gained many followers..." Froslass sighed. "And now your friends are planning to destroy her... and I can't let that happen!"  
"Okay, I'll help. But... how did you know my name?" Rita asked.  
"That... is not important right now. I need to save my sister!" Froslass headed into the clearing, followed by Rita.

When Rita and Froslass arrived at the top of the mountain, Froslass's sister was on the ground, Rae's foot on her head. There was a dark aura floating around Froslass, and he eyes showed no pupils, and she showed no sign of pain.  
"Now you will pay..." Jet was saying. "For the terrible things you've done!"  
_She was knocked out that quickly?_  
"Do what you wish," Froslass said. "You cannot harm me, for I have the power of Master Palkia on my side..."  
Jet's eyes widened. "W-what?"  
"Ignore it!" Rae snapped. "She's clearly crazy!"  
"R-right..." Jet looked like he was powering up a move, and so did Rae.  
Everyone else was on the ground, looking defeated, except for Victoria and Smoke who were desperately trying to unfreeze Dew.  
"Stop!" Froslass called from beside Rita.  
Jet and Rae turned around.  
"There's two?" Jet asked, then looked at Rita. "What are you doing?"  
"I'm on your side...!" Froslass argued, but Jet didn't seem to hear. He charged at her with a powerful aqua jet.  
Rita leaped in front of Froslass. "Stop!" she yelled.  
Jet was about to hit Rita, but he stopped his aqua jet. "Rita, what are you doing? She's the enemy!"  
"No, dont just jump to conclusions, hear her out!" Rita snapped, then looked over at Rae. "And don't hurt that Froslass!"  
"Yes, please listen!" the Froslass beside Rita cried. "It's not my sister's fault for the things she's done..."  
"He's out!"  
Rita turned around to see Smoke, Victoria, and Dew. Dew was on the ground, looking unconscious.  
Smoke looked over to where Rita was. "Whats going on...?"  
"Let me explain..." Froslass started. As she explained everything, her sister had calmed down, and everyone else had recovered.  
"I'm not being manipulated!" Froslass cried. "I'm perfectly fine!"  
"That's a pretty... odd story..."  
Everyone turned their heads.  
Team Star and Team Z both appeared out of the cave.  
_I forgot other rescue teams were investigating the mountain too..._  
"Who are you?" Froslass asked.  
"They are two teams from the Rescue Camp. They're searching for Dew as well," Jet told Froslass.  
"Oh? Dew is... alright?" Seed, a Bayleef, asked, looking at the unconscious Dew.  
"When did you get here?" Smoke asked.  
"Right at the beginning of Froslass's tale..." Charmeleon chuckled.  
"Dark Palkia? Frightening..." Dragonite said, and shuddered.  
"Anyway, since we're all here, why dont we guide this nice Froslass back to the Rescue Camp? She can explain what she knows to Lady Pidgeot!" Wigglytuff said, smiling. "And then we can turn the meanie Froslass into Officer Ambipom!"  
"Oh my god, your Rae!" Seed exclaimed, staring at Rae.  
"Heh, finally figure it out?" Rae said, grinning.  
"You are like, my idol!" Seed squealed. "When we get back to the camp, can I have your autograph?"  
"Of course," Rae replied.  
"We're getting off topic..." Vapor sighed.  
"Yes, I'll go with you to your camp... but, please... don't let Ambipom arrest my sister... it's not her fault!" Froslass cried.  
"That will be Officer Ambipom's decision," Jet told her.  
"Where _is _she, anyway?" Plasma cut in.  
Everyone looked around. Froslass had disappeared!  
"Great..." Dragonite sighed.  
"She's probably long gone by now, there's no point looking for her," Froslass said. "Anyway, could you all take me back to your camp then?"  
"Yes, of course," Charmeleon replied.  
Rita glanced at the other member of Team Z, Persian. He has been quiet since they arrived. Persian caught her eye. He wrinkled his nose and looked away.  
_What's his problem? _  
"Shouldn't we wait until Dew regains consciousness?" Vapor asked.  
"No way! It's freezing up here!" Plasma whined. "Carry him!"  
"Whatever..." Vapor breathed, then put Dew on her back. "Ow! He's heavy!" she complained.  
Weedle giggled. "He should have lost weight!"  
"Let's go," Dragonite said, and headed back into the cave inside the mountain.  
"Yay! Now we climb down!" WIgglytuff said happily, and followed Dragonite. Persian was silent as he followed the two out, along with Team Star.  
As everyone climbed down the steep cave, Rita glanced at Victoria.  
_She still looks depressed... and we're gonna have to report Chance's death to Lady Pidgeot... She wont be pleased._  
Victoria caught her eye. "Something wrong, Rita?" she asked.  
"Oh, nothing at all!" Rita replied, putting on a fake smile.  
"You dont need to worry about me. I'm fine... It was all for the best..." Victoria told her.  
"I know... I just want to make sure you're alright..." Rita said looking at her paws as they walked.  
_Tch! These paws aren't even mine..._  
Victoria smiled. "Thanks for worrying about me. It's nice to know someone cares."  
"Everyone cares," Rita said.  
Victoria smiled, and walked ahead next to Flower and Rici.  
Rita sighed. She felt bad that she couldn't cheer up her friend.  
"She'll be okay."  
Rita turned to see Smoke. "If you say so..." Rita muttered.  
"After a week or so, she'll be back to her normal Vicky self," Smoke told her. "Though, things will be different without Chance around..."  
"This all happened because of this whole space disortion thingy. Maybe if it's stopped, everyone will come back..."  
"Don't get your hopes up... when someone is dead... they're dead. There's no coming back."  
"That's not true!" Rita argued. "When I drowned in my human body... my spirit... my spirit still carried on. And now I'm here..."  
"It's good to hope, but not too much..." Smoke replied. The rest of the travel through the cave was quiet, except for the quiet chatter between Rae and Seed, and the occasional arguing between Plasma and Moon.

•  
"Wow, it's so dark outside!" Wigglytuff exclaimed.  
"I didn't realize how fast the time flew by," Froslass said. "Should we... rest for the night?"  
"Yes. At night you don't know what to expect," Jet said.  
"I'll find wood for a campfire!" Wigglytuff said, and bounded into the woods.  
"I'll go too," Moon said. "Anyone else?"  
"I'll go..." Rita said, wanting to get away for a bit.  
"Alright, and then the rest of us here can set up a little campsite," Rae explained.  
Rita padded into the woods, followed by Moon.  
"At the end of these woods, there should be loads of firewood," she said. "This place is called Whispering Woods."  
"How do you know this?" Rita asked, surprised by Moon's knowledge.  
"I used to come here as a Cleffa with my parents," Moon giggled.  
"Oh, so you know the way around here?" Rita asked.  
"Of course! But it's not to hard to get lost. Let's stay together, okay?"  
"Okay!" Rita answered, smiling. "I wonder where Wigglytuff ran off to..." Rita didn't know much about the big pink Pokemon, but he seemed pretty careless.  
"Wigglytuff will be fine... he's actually really strong, and very smart. He's just... a bit odd," Moon said, grinning.  
After a while, Rita saw a small dim light.  
"I see... a small opening..." she said.  
"Oh! There we go! All the firewood should be just ahead of here!" Moon cheered.  
The two walked into the small clearing, to see Wigglytuff glancing around, looking nervous. He smiled as he noticed them. "Rita! Moon! Hiya!" he said, then looked up at the trees looming overhead. "It feels like someone's watching us, don't you think?"  
Rita realized Wigglytuff was right. An uneasy feeling was nudging at her telling her to run.  
"Well... it always feels like that in forests, doesn't it?" Moon asked. "And look! There's the pile of firewood! Let's get it and get out of here," she said. Moon walked towards the pile of wood.  
"Don't come any closer! One more step and I'll slice you in half!" a voice called from in the night filled trees.  
"W-who's there?" Moon asked, sounding terrified.  
A red Pokemon with blades on its arms hopped down from the trees.  
"I am Bisharp!" it called. "Trying to take my territory, huh? I won't let that happen!"  
"What? We dont want your territory, mister, we just want some of that firewood over there!" Wigglytuff said.  
"Silence! I know who you are! Your trespassers, here to claim my territory..." Bisharp yelled.  
"We dont want any of your territory!" Moon said, looking scared.  
"Don't lie to me! I will destroy all three of you!" Bisharp called.  
"Okay! Battles! I love battles!" Wigglytuff cheered. He then inflated himself, and bounced into the air.  
Bisharp glared at Rita and Moon, then hit them both with a powerful night slash. As he did that, Wigglytuff landed on top of him. Rita reconized the move as body slam.  
_Wigglytuff really is tough._  
"Am I the only one that's gonna fight?" Wigglytuff asked, looking disapointed. "Boo!"  
Rita stood up. _Ow... he's strong... I guess we have to fight too! _  
As Wigglytuff got up, Rita threw a thunderbolt at Bisharp. Bisharp got hit, and fell back. A long stream of water then hit him also. Rita looked at Moon.  
_Water moves? _  
Moon looked at her confused face. "Metronome," she said.  
Bisharp stayed still on the dark ground.  
"What a weakling! Out in just three moves! Boo!" Wigglytuff complained, then looked at Rita and Moon. "Well, lets collect our prize! Beautiful firewood!" he cheered.  
The three Pokemon walked around Bisharp, and collected the firewood.  
_What's firewood doing randomly sitting here, anyway? _Rita wondered. _Did someone put it here?_

The orange flames warmed Rita's cold body. Victoria and Smoke had both used ember to get the fire going.  
"And then he popped out of the trees! Like a ninja!"  
Wigglytuff was telling everyone about the fight with Bisharp.  
"A ninja, eh? So you all defeated him?" Jet asked, next to Rita.  
"Of course!" Wigglytuff sang. "I used my super powerful, all mighty body slam to K.O. him!"  
"Your exagerating it a bit..." Moon said, sighing. "We played a part in it too!"  
"Yeah with wimpy little Magikarp attacks! Boo!" Wigglytuff pouted.  
"That forest _is _quite dangerous..." Froslass hummed.  
"It's just good you all got out safe," Rae said, smiling. "It'd be bad if we lost someone else."  
"Speaking of losing someone, I've been wondering where that Chansey is," Prinplup pointed out.  
"Yeah, where's Chance?" Dragonite asked.  
Rita glanced at Victoria and Flower, who's happy faces turned to sadness.  
Everyone was quiet for a while, before Victoria spoke.  
"Chance... uh..." Rici tried to speak.  
"She's dead," she said. "Chance died."  
"Dead? What happened?" Seed gasped.  
"We had a fight..." Vapor said, as she explained what had happened.  
"Oh..." Seed said quietly, then looked at the fire.  
"She was always a brave one!" Wigglytuff pointed out. "And kind of like a dare devil."  
"You must miss her," Charmeleon said, looking at Victoria and Flower.  
_No, duh. _Rita thought to herself.  
It was quiet for a while. The sound of the flames crackling was the only sound.  
"Where... am I?"  
Rita looked behind her to see Dew, looking around wildly.  
"Y-your awake!" Smoke exclaimed, next to Rita.  
Dew looked at him. "Smoke?"  
"So he lives!" Jet said, smiling.  
"Jetty?" Dew looked around again, surveying everyone. "What happened?" His eyes widened as he spotted Froslass. "Y-you!" he exclaimed, and got up. "You froze me, didn't you?"  
"Calm down, Dew," Vapor soothed. "That's not the same Froslass that you fought. She's here to help us."  
"It's true. My sister is the one who froze you," Froslass said.  
"There's so much that happened while you were in that chunk of ice," Jet said.  
"Wait! WAIT!" Dew yelled.  
Everyone was quiet.  
"What?" Jet asked.  
"Is that... Rae?" Dew asked, looking across the fire in awe at the big Raichu, who was sitting between Seed and Persian.  
"Hey there!" Rae called.

"So... I've been stuck in that block of ice for like, three weeks?" Dew asked, now sitting between Vapor and Rici.  
"Yes," Vapor answered.  
"Everyone's been searching for you!" Charmeleon said.  
"And... Exploud and Chance both died just because they were looking for me?"  
"...Yes," Vapor replied.  
"Oh... I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused..." Dew said, looking guilty.  
"It's not your fault, it's the disortion is space's fault!" Wigglytuff said. He glared at the night covered sky. "STUPID SPACE!"  
"No, no! We're just happy you're okay!" Victoria said. Her attitude seemed to have changed.  
"I never got to meet you, 'cause you were gone!" Weedle said from Plasma's back.  
"Yup!" Plasma said, smiling. "It seems like it's been YEARS!"  
"We'll explain everything else in the morning," Jet said.  
"If ya say so!" Dew said.

Vapor used water gun to put out the fire.  
"Night, night!" Wigglytuff cheered, then headed off with Persian and Dragonite into their tent.  
"Sleep well..." Froslass said. She bowed, then headed off into her own tent.  
"Yeah, what they all said," Charmeleon said, chuckling.  
"Have a good night!" Seed told them. The three walked into their big green tent.  
"You still like Rita, Jetty?" Dew asked, smirking.  
"Goodnight," Jet said, ignoring his question, then padded away.  
"Hey!" Dew called. "I just got back! Don't ignore my question!"  
"We'll be off tomorrow," Vapor told the rest of the group, then quickly ran off towards Jet and Dew.  
"Night!" Plasma called after them.  
"Well, it's been a busy day," Rae said. "I wish you all a good sleep."  
"You too, Rae!" Rici called as Rae walked away.  
"Today really was a busy day..." Victoria sighed.  
"Being sad wont help anything..." Flower muttered.  
"No, no... I'm not sad.." Victoria said.  
Plasma smacked her across the face.  
"W-what was that for?" Victoria exclaimed.  
"Wow Plasma your strong!" Weedle squeaked.  
"That's for lying! Lying is bad! Now cheer up, and sleep well, 'cause I'm tired and imma go find our tent!" Plasma said, then glided off, Weedle still on her back.  
"W-wait for me!" Moon called, and followed her.  
"We should go find our tent too..." Smoke said. "Try to sleep well," he said, the looked at Rita. "Let's go."  
"Alright... night everyone..." Rita sighed.  
_This is quite depressing... _  
Rita curled up in her cozy cot. "It's so soft!" she exclaimed.  
"Really?" Smoke asked, then sat on the cot. "Whoaaa it is!" he said, chuckling. "Well, night!"  
"Goodnight," Rita told him, and she soon heard the sound of silence.


	14. Chapter 13: Team Shade's Accusation

Rita woke up to rain clicking on her tent. Great... she thought. Just great... we have to walk in this...

Smoke stirred beside her. His head then poked up.

"It's... raining," he said.

Duh...

"I don't wanna walk in this!" Smoke complained.

"Well... we have to..."

"What happened to the other teams anyway?" he asked. "Like... the only other team we've seen is Team Star and Team Z..."

"I don't know... maybe they gave up," Rita answered.

Smoke shrugged, and peered outside the tent. Rita looked outside too. Vapor was laying on her back in the middle of the camp site. No one else seemed to be up.

Rita felt a raindrop hit her nose. It trickled down her face, leaving a line of coldness.

"I'm going back inside," Smoke said, and Rita heard the ruffle of the tent as he went back in.

Rita stepped a few feet away from the tent, recalling what had happened yesterday.

We went into Shard Mountain. We were attacked by a Lampent and his army of Snorunt and Snover. Chance was killed. Vicky and Flower are now depressed. We made our way up the mountain. Everyone went to fight dark Froslass. Dark Froslass's sister appeared. She told me that Dark Palkia had caused her sister to be under control. Kyruem, Reshiram, and Zekrom are also under control of the dark force. Dew was thawed out of his frozen state. Dark Froslass escaped. Team Star and Team Z showed up. Persian of Team Z is rude. Wigglytuff is odd. We made a campsite. Moon, Wigglytuff and I went into Whispering Woods to gather firewood. We were attacked by Bisharp. Bisharp was defeated. We came back. We all went to sleep. Now I'm here, standing in the rain.

Rita looked at Vapor sprawled out in the middle of the campsite. She must be enjoying the rain,Rita thought. Rita glanced around again. Silence. A slight movement caught her. A tan, slender Pokemon appeared from Team Z's tent. Persian. He spotted her, then looked away. He walked towards a forest-like area.

Rita decided she wanted to know what his problem was, so she followed him.

"Hey, Persian," she said, catching up to him. "Where ya goin?"

"Looking for food," he replied grimly.

"Oh, well, I'll come with you!"

"I can do it myself," he huffed, seeming slightly annoyed.

"Safety in numbers, yes?" Rita asked.

"Whatever. Just don't bother me," he replied.

Persian reminded Rita of a teenage boy, thinking everyone was to uncool for him to hang around.

Rita padded alongside Persian, who wasdesperately trying not to be next to the Delcatty.

Finally, Persian spoke.

"I heard you're a human," he said. "Is that true?"

Rita paused. How did he know that? Sherememberedback to the time when her and Smoke rescued Lilligant. She had known Rita was human because of Team Nyan, a team Lilligant was friends with. Liligant had said; " Gossip. They overheard Team Shade talking."

Of course. Team Shade would have been talking loud enough that all the teams could hear she was a human.

Well, telling Persian the truth won't hurt anybody.

"Yeah," Rita replied.

"So it's true..." Persian trailed off. He looked at her. "How strange, a human becoming a Delcatty."

Rita laughed. "Yeah, I know."

The berry bush that came into view ended the awkward conversation between them both.

"Well, now we can take some food back," Persian said, picking up some berries.

"Are you sure these are safe?" Rita asked, picking up one of the yellow berries and examining it.

"Yeah, they're called Sitrus Berries," Persian said. "They're used for healing and such."

"Oh, alright."

"Lets head back then," Persian said, not seeming as annoyed with Rita as he did before.

•

As the two arrived back at the campsite, everyone still seemed asleep. The only ones who were up was Weedle and Plasma, who were putting things on top of Vapor's back while she was asleep.

As Plasma spotted Rita and Persian, the put a finger to her mouth to say, "Quiet, don't wake her up." Her and Weedle giggled as they picked up some mud and dabbed it all over Vapor's face.

Rita noticed Persian smile slightly, as he dropped the Sirtus berries by the campfire. Rita did the same. She looked back over at Plasma and Weedle, who were now laughing quietly at what they had done to Vapor. She had mud on her face, and it was rubbed down her back. Rocks were placed down her spine and grass was spluttered on her tail. Plasma and Weedle seemed to be discussing something. They both then leaned in to her face.

Persian and Rita looked at each other.

What are they...?

Plasma and Weedle then let out horrified scream right in Vapor's face. Vapor's eyes flew open, and she jumped, but it seemed like she levitated off the ground. Shedesperatelylooked around, for thesourceof the scream. Plasma and Weedle burst into laughter. Vapor looked over at them, her eyes wild.

"That wasn't funny!" she screeched, and laughed slightly. She then looked at her mud covered paws. "Fut the wuk...?" She looked back at her tail. "What did you do?!"

The question only made them both laugh harder. Their scream seemed to draw everyone out of their tents.

"What happened?!" Rita heard Charmeleon ask.

"Someone screamed," Jet said, looking suspicious.

Plasma and Weedle looked at each other, and burst into laughter again.

"It's nothing," Vapor replied, flicking her tailangrily.

"Sitrus berries!" Wigglytuff shouted. He then looked up at the sky and waved, smiling happily. "Thank you berry gods!"

"We collected them, idiot," Persian said from next to Rita.

Wigglytuff smiled again. "Then thank you, Persieen!" he said, and picked up a Sitrus Berry, popping it in his large, pink mouth. Soon, everyone was chowing down on the yellow berries.

As Rita was about to take a bite of her berry, looked over at Vicky, who was not eating. Flower was trying desperately to get her to eat.

Rita padded over to the small fire Pokemon. She shoved her berry into Victoria's paws. "Eat it," Rita said. "You need to keep up your strength."

"I'm not hungry," Victoria replied.

Rita paused, before adding, "It's what Chance would have wanted, for you not to starve." She gave a half-hearted smile.

Vicky took a bite out of the berry, juices oozing down her mouth. "Thanks," she said.

Flower shot Rita agratefullook. Rita smiled.

•

Jet and Dew walked in front of the group as they returned to camp. Vapor was trying to lick the mud off of herself, and Plasma and Moon were fighting about something. Rae was telling Rici a story. Persian and Dragonite were discussing something, while Froslass lingered at the back of the large group. Wigglytuff was telling Team Star and Team Luck about the difficult mission Team Shade had giving his team when they were in charge.

"Wait, that Pokemon that attacked you... what did it look like?" Prinplup asked.

"Oh.. it was HUGE and black and dragon-like and it had blue aura-like rings around it's huge tail," Wigglytuff replied. "But it looked really confused, like it didn't know what it was doing."

Prinplup exchanged a look with his team.

Huge black dragon Pokemon?

"Do you know the name of the Pokemon?" Flower asked.

Wigglytuff glanced around. "I'm not supposed to tell anybody.. but you are friends, so I guess Dragonite wouldn't mind." He paused. "Dragonite thought it was Zekrom."

Zekrom?!

"Do you think it was the same Zekrom Froslass was talking about?" Seed asked.

"I don't know," Wigglytuff said, looking uneasy. "Probably."

Smoke leaned over towards Rita's ear. "Maybe if we ask Zekrom, he an tell us where Dark Palkia is," he said. "You know, since that's why your here, apparently."

"I don't know," Rita replied. "There's no way we could persuade Zekrom to tell us. He's being controlled anyway, remember?" The thought of the large black Pokemon made her uneasy.

"We can ask Lady Pidgeot for help, or something," Smoke said.

Rita didn't think Pidgeot would be up for anything, since she's been upset since Exploud died. She just shrugged, and continued to walk ahead.

•

Rita laid down on the soft, green grass. It was time to make camp again. The night sky reminded her of a certain black blanket she had back in her human world. The stars shone like pretty airplanes in the night sky.

Rae sat down next to her. "Nice night, right?" he asked. "No rain for once!" He laughed happily. His happy face then turned serious. "So you're a human?"

Why was being a human so surprising?

"Uh, yeah," Rita replied. It was the second time that day she had been asked that.

"I see..." Rae looked up at the sky. "Don't they remind you of airplanes?" he asked. "How they twinkle up there, so carefree?"

"Yeah," Rita replied. They both laughed. There was an awkward silence.

Then the thought hit her like a slap in the face.

"Wait, how do you know what a-" She realized Rae was no longer beside her. She looked around wildly.

Where did he go?! How does he know what an airplane is?! she asked herself.

"What's wrong, Rita?"

Rita heard Rici's voice. She looked back at the blue Riolu. It was hard to believe, that when she was a human, he was her brother. She looked at him again. I killed you. She said to herself.

She looked over at Jet.

And you.

She looked at Vicky.

And you.

She finally caught sight of Rae, who was conversing with Vapor.

And possibly even you.

"Rita?" Rici asked.

Rita jumped. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she lied.

•

The whole group sat around the campfire, staring at the stars. Jet was on Rita's right side, Plasma on her left.

"That star is ugly," Plasma complained, pointing at the sky. It was impossible to tell which star she was pointing at.

"You're ugly!" Moon shot at her, from between Smoke and Charmeleon.

Plasma sat up, and glared at her. "At least I'm better looking than you!"

The two Pokemon went back and forth in an argument once again.

"This is so stupid," Persian grunted. "I'm leaving." He got up and walked towards some trees, probably where he would be sleeping.

"Get a better attitude!" Seed yelled at him as he stalked away. He flicked his tail in annoyment at the Bayleef's voice.

Froslass drifted over to where they were all gathered.

"What are you all doing?" she asked, a confused look on her face.

"Watching the stars," Smoke told her.

"What will you gain from that?" Froslass asked, now seeming really confused.

"Knowledge!" Rae replied. "Knowledge of... cool stuff."

Rita didn't know why, but she laughed. It wasn't funny or anything, but with all that was going on, a laugh was needed here and there. Everyone else laughed along too, except for Froslass and Persian. Rita noticed Jet wasn't laughing either.

"He's been making me suspicious," Jet whispered to Rita.

"Why?" Rita asked. "He's graduated from the Rescue Camp, and he's pretty cool." She left out the conversation they had about airplanes.

"That's just it," Jet replied. "He acts all cool with everyone. Everybody likes him, but I think he's a reason to be on the lookout."

Something about what Jet had said angered Rita. "I think you're just jealous of him."

"Why would I be jealous of him?!"

"It just seems like you are."

"I saw you guys sitting together earlier," Jet said, changing the subject. "I think you like him."

"What?! I do not!" she said angrily.

"It's so obvious you do!" Jet replied.

Does the thought of me liking Rae bother him? If I say I do he'll probably get mad. Rita thought. She decided she would tick him off a little.

"So what if I do?" Rita asked, in an innocent voice.

A hurt look crossed Jet's face. "Well, then enjoy your time with that fatso," he whispered. He then got up in an angry passion, and walked off.

Even if Rita felt a little bad about that, it's what he deserved. Why was he hating on Rae all of the sudden?! And why did the thought of her and Rae bother him so much?

"What's with him?" Dragonite asked.

Rita watched as Dew got up and walked in the direction where Jet had gone.

Rita's conversation with Jet came back to her. Had she liked someone in the human world? If so, who was it? She wondered if it was someone that got transformed into a Pokemon.

The thought followed her into her sleep.

That night shedream't of Victoria, Jet, Rici, and the fifth person all in their human forms. They were looking down at her, making fun of her for some reason. When she looked down, she found herself looking into her reflection in a lake. She was still a Delcatty. The Delcatty in the lake seemed to come out of the lake, and was now standing next to Rita on land. Jet, Vicky, Rici, and Fifth had disappeared, leaving Rita with her reflection.

"Why am I here?!" Rita asked her reflection.

Herreflectiongiggled like a small girl. Ritarecognizedthe small giggle.

Her reflection soon turned into the Lilligant she had seen a few nights before.

"You are here to..." Lilligant didn't get to finish her sentence. Rita's name was being called.

"Wake up, lazy cat!" it called.

Plasma?

Rita looked at where Lilligant was. She was slowly disappearing.

"No! Come back!" Rita called. She ran towards the figure, and suddenly she was falling.

She opened her eyes to see Plasma peering over at her.

"Wow, you take forever to wake up," she huffed.

"W-What happened?" Rita asked, looking around.

"You've been asleep for four days!" Plasma cried.

Rita remembered Plasma or someone had said that to her before.

"Haha, funny," Rita said sarcastically. She looked around, only to see Smoke. "Where is everyone?"

"They went on ahead," Smoke said. "You take too long to wake up."

"They left us?!" Rita asked frantically.

"Yeah, but we know the way," Plasma replied. "Jet said we're almost back to camp."

Finally...

Rita then remembered her argument with the silver Floatzel.

It was probably his idea to leave me.

Rita got up and the three Pokemon made their way back to the camp.

•

It felt to good to see the huge gates of the Rescue Camp. Rita guessed everyone else had explained everything to Lady Pidgeot and such.

As she walked inside, she saw a bunch of teams gathered around Dew. She looked around, catching Jet's eye. He quickly looked away.

Golbat came up to them.

"You made it back?" he asked, seeming surprised. "I thought you died."

"Yes, we died. That's why we're standing in front of you," Plasma replied.

Golbat looked at her. "No, really. I thought you died," he said. "We couldn't make it up Shard Mountain. I figured you got hurt and were lying dead somewhere."

"Do you really think that lowly of us?" Plasma asked.

"Not really," he said, and flew off.

"Well then," Plasma huffed. "He seems to have an attitude change."

Smoke glanced around.

"There's Lady Pidgeot," he said, pointing towards the large, shiny bird Pokemon. She looked down at Dew, a silence falling across the room.

"Nice to see you back," she said.

Dew grinned. "Nice to be back!"

Lady Pidgeot scanned the room. "I see you are all back safely," she said. "But I also see that Flower and Vicky aren't with Chance. Where is she?"

"She died," Vicky said straightforwardly.

"What?!" Pidgeot seemed shocked. All the other teams did too.

"Quite a long story," Rita heard Vapor say. "We'll explain it to you later."

Lady Pidgeot looked down. "Well, we shall remember her as who she was; a strong, cheerful Chansey. Let not her name be forgotten." She looked at Rae, who was standing at the back of the room. "And I see we have a visitor," she said.

Everyone's heads' turned to where Rae was standing, leaning against a wall. Girlish squeals hovered around the room.

"It's Rae!"

"Oh my god, Rae!"

"Rae!"

Rita had never heard anyone's name be said so much. Soon everyone was hovering around Rae, asking for autographs and such. Rita sawTeam Z and Team Star make their way towards Pidgeot. They seemed to be explaining everything to her. She nodded, seeming to understand what they were saying.

Rita was happy to be back, but she didn't know what she should do now. She wanted badly to talk to Lilligant, find out what she was going to tell her before Plasma woke her up. She put the thought off for later.

•

It felt amazing to be eating actual food. Rita sat at their normal table in the back, with Smoke, Plasma, Rici and Moon. Plasma was making obnoxious slurping sounds from across the table.

"Eat nicer!" Moon said to her.

"I'll eat how I want!" Plasma snapped back.

As the two fought, Rita saw something move from the corner of her eye. Smoke apparently saw it too.

"Here comes Team Shade," he whispered, sighing. "I wish they would leave us alone."

Rita had no time to reply, because Mightyena now stood right in front of her. Golbat was above his head, and Night on his right.

"Nice job," he started. "For a human." He said it quite loudly, and heads turned towards their table. Rita caught Jet's eye again, but this time he seemed worried.

Mightyena leaned in towards her, still speaking loudly. "Why are you humans here, anyway?" His eyes drifted towards Rici, then Vicky, and finishing at Jet.

Rita didn't know the answer to was supposed to stopPalkia, but she wasn't quite sure of that. And how would she explain that to Team Shade?

"Well," Mightyena started. "I don't trust you. Or Vicky, or Rici, or Jet. I think you're here to destroy us, and claim our world for your human race."

"What?!" Rita asked, stunned.

"What about everyone else?" Mightyena asked, looking around. "Why do you think these humans are here? If they weren't here, do you think Exploud and Chance would be dead?!"

Murmurs filled the cafeteria.

"That came out of nowhere!" Plasma remarked. She stood up, looking at the other teams. "Do you actually believe him?!"

Rita looked around for Pidgeot. She couldn't find her.

"Why would we want to take over?" Rita heard Vicky ask.

"Because you're greedy," Golbat replied.

Mightyena's gaze shifted from Smoke, to Plasma, to Moon, to Flower, to Vapor, and then to Dew. "Have you ever actually thought about why they are here?" he asked them.

Smoke spoke first. "I know why they're here, and it's none of your business why."

"Are you just trying to defend your little human friend?" Mightyena asked. "She could be lying, Smoke."

"She's not lying," Rita heard Moon say.

A million thoughts were buzzing through her head.

Had they planned this? Why are they doing this now?! What do they have against us?!

Without realizing it, Rita had stood up and walked towards the cafeteria doors. She imagined Mightyena was smiling his ugly smile right about now. She ran outside, not knowing why. She hated Mightyena right now. As she was leaving the building, she could hear Plasma and everyone's screams at Mightyena.

What am I running from?

She heard someone's voice behind her. She turned around. Vicky, Rici, and Jet were walking towards her. Jet refused to meet her gaze.

Still angry, eh?

"What are you doing out here?" Rita asked them.

"Things got a little hectic in there. Pokemon started calling us stuff, and we just couldn't stay," Vicky replied.

"Pidgeot will probably settle things down," Rici said.

"If we go back in, won't they just start up again?" Rita asked. She wondered what happened to Smoke. He was probably complaining to Team Shade about it.

"Why is Team Shade accusing things like that?" Rici asked.

Jet finally spoke. "I heard them talking about some plan, not too long ago. This was probably it, they're trying to get the camp against us for some reason."

"Why?" Rita asked.

Jet still refused to meet her gaze. "I don't know. They hate us for some reason."

"Well, I'm going back inside," Vicky said.

"Isn't it a bit dangerous right now?" Rici asked.

"I'm still going in," Vicky replied. "Who cares? We're still rescue teams."

Rita followed her as she walked back in. Lady Pidgeot was addressing the teams.

"And that's that." She glared at Team Shade. "I would like to speak with you."  
Pokemon disappeared into the elevator team by team, each giving Rita and the others questioning looks. Team Star and Team Z even seemed mystified.  
Mightyena, Golbat, and Night disappeared into the Silver Room with Pidgeot. Rita looked over at Rae, who was standing with Vapor, Plasma, Moon, Flower, Dew, and Smoke, talking about something. They looked over at Rita and the others, and signaled them to come over. Rita walked over, glancing nervously around.  
"You need to find out more reason on why you're all here," Rae said straightforwardly. "If you do we can convince the others that you're not bad."  
"I don't know how," Rita complained. "I only see Lilligant in dreams, and that only happens occasionally."  
Something crossed through Rae's eyes. "Lilligant...?" he asked, then quickly changed the subject. "Is there anywhere else you might be able to meet Lilligant?"  
Rita thought for a moment. She remembered back to when she first joined the camp, and when she ended up on Floor 23.  
I heard Lilligant's voice there... but it seemed dangerous there... she thought. But it's still a chance to see Lilligant.  
As if he guessed what she was thinking, he quickly denied it. "No way!" Jet growled. "Absolutley not. You got in trouble last time, and it's dangerous there."  
"Dangerous where?" Vicky and Rici asked in unison. They looked at eachother oddly.

"Where?" Smoke asked.  
"Floor 23," Rita answered. "I heard Lilligant's voice there."  
"You shouldn't go there," Smoke said.  
"That place was terrible!" Plasma complained.  
"That haunted place? Alright," Rae said, sticking out his belly.  
"What? No!" Jet growled again.  
"Do you want the others to hate you, maybe even hurt you?" Rae asked.  
Jet didn't answer.  
"Then don't be stupid," Rae told him.  
"Jetty's just doesn't want Rita to get hurt," Dew said, laughing slightly.  
Jet glared at Rae, his face flushed slightly red, ignoring Dew's comment. "You're famous, everyone loves you, but what are you really like? What's your story?"  
"What?" Rae asked, looking confused.  
"You seem pretty intent on making Rita go to Floor 23."  
"I only wanna help," Rae said, grinning.  
Before Jet could speak, Rita stopped him. "Jet, stop," she hissed. "Just leave him alone, okay?" She then stormed towards the elevator.  
Why is he being so hardheaded?  
"I'm going to Floor 23." The silverish doors then closed in front of her face, Jet looking angry. She scanned for the "23" button. She quickly found the place where Plasma found it before. She hit it angrily. She then felt her body move up as the elevator headed to the 23rd floor, once again.

Anger flushed through Jet as he watched Rita disappear into the elevator doors.  
Why won't she listen?!  
He turned to Rae. "If she gets hurt, it's your fault."  
Rae ignored him. "Okay, problem settled. If she meets with Lilligant, you all get your freedom." He walked off towards the cafeteria.  
Where is he going?  
Dew looked at Jet. "We can talk about this later, kay?" He seemed worried.  
Jet nodded. He didn't want to talk about anything.  
"It's getting late," Moon said, breaking the silence. "Lets head up before we get into trouble.  
Jet stood looking off in the direction Rae had gone. He jumped as Vapor called his name.  
"Jet, you coming?"  
"I'll be right there," he replied. "Just thirsty."  
Vapor nodded, and the elevator doors closed in front of the group of Pokemon  
As soon as they closed, Jet headed towards the cafeteria. He opened the doors quietly, not wanting to make any noise. He was sure Rae was in here. He peered around. Eventually he spotted Rae's lightning shaped tail bobbing in the kitchen.  
He heard voices other than Rae's.  
"What did you do?" he heard a voice ask, quickly recgonizing it as Mightyena's.  
Wasn't he with lady Pidgeot?  
"I got Rita to go to that haunted floor," Rae replied.  
"No one else is going with her, right?" Golbat asked. He seemed uneasy for some reason.  
"Ha, of course not," Rae laughed.  
"Ha, as soon as she's trapped up there, we'll shut down the elevator. After that we'll find a way to fool the others," Mightyena laughed. "Imagine it, one of their kind betraying them," he laughed, looking at Rae.  
Trapped?! One of their kind?!  
"I never liked them from the beginning. They were all such annoying humans," Rae sighed.  
Is Rae a human?!  
"Why do you hate them so much?" Jet heard Night ask.  
"You know why! Stupid abusive humans... disgusting!" Mightyena hissed.  
Golbat and Night exchanged troubled looks.  
I have to warn them!  
As he turned to leave, Jet felt a hand wrap around his mouth and another hand hold his arms behind his back.  
"What are you doing, out so late?" someone whispered. He shifted his eyes to see a large orange Pokemon. It was Rae.  
"We can't have you warning the others," he heard Mightyena say.  
Something thunked him in the back of his head, and blackness filled his vision.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Betrayal

As the elevator came to a halt and the silver doors opened, Rita felt the same uneasy feeling she had felt before. She stepped on to Floor 23, glancing around. Now, how was she going to contact Lilligant? She closed her eyes, trying to summon the green, dancing Pokemon.  
"Come on," she whispered. "Talk to me!"  
Maybe if she went further into the room something would happen.  
The hall windows were draped with torn blue curtains. The whole floor was something you would expect to see in a haunted house. Something kept telling Rita to turn back, to not go any further, but she knew she had to speak to Lilligant for everyone.  
The curtains started moving, even though the windows weren't open. Rita peered her head in the abandoned rooms on the floor. They each looked like the rooms her and Smoke slept in, but dustier. She imagined they hadn't been cleaned for quite a while. She tried to summon Lilligant again.  
"Please, talk to me!" she cried.  
Suddenly, she heard a soft voice.  
"Rita?" it asked. There was no doubt about it. It was Lilligant.  
"I'm here!" Rita cried again, happy that Lilligant had finally heard her.  
"You have to get out of here!" Lilligant yelled.  
A ghostly figure appeared in front of Rita. It had a flower on it's head, and a pretty greenish dress. Rita recgonized it as Lilligant.  
"Why?" Rita asked. "I need to talk to you, please!"  
"Get out first!" Lilligant cried. "You're in danger! Leave!" Lilligant then quickly through walked through Rita towards the elevator. Rita felt a chill run up her spine as the pretty Pokemon walked through her.  
Rita followed her, not knowing what was wrong. "Listen, I know I'll get in trouble, but that's not _that _danger-"  
A loud clicking sound coming from the elevator cut her off, followed by a loud _BANG! _  
"Oh no!" Lilligant cried.  
"WHAT'S WRONG?!" Rita asked loudly.  
Lilligant turned towards her. "They're trapping you up here!" She had a horrified look on her face.  
"What?! Who?!"  
"Mightyena, Night, Golbat, and Rae!"  
_Rae?!_  
"Why would Rae trap me up here?! Isn't he human too?!"  
"Yes, but he's on Mightyena's side!"  
"Why?!" Rita asked frantically.  
"I don't know!" Lilligant cried. "I can't reach him through dreams!"  
Rita looked at the "Down" button. She desperately pressed it. Nothing happened.  
"It's no use," Lilligant sighed. "Rae disabled the elevator that leads to this floor."  
_Why would Rae do that?!_  
Rita ran across the hallway, kicking up dust, to one of the rooms. She ran over to a dusty window, moving the torn shades out of the way. She put both of her paws on the window, and pulled up with all her strength. If she could get it open, she could climb down, even if it was a long way down. She tried to open the window, it wouldn't budge. As she tried again, Rita heard something pop in her shoulder, followed by a tearing pain. She let out a cry of pain, and whipped her other arm over towards her shoulder, holding it tightly against her body.  
"Are you alright, Rita?!" Lilligant cried. She looked terrified for such a happy Pokemon. She floated over towards Rita. Rita looked up at her. She could see the whole rest of the room through her transparent body.  
"Yes, it tickled," Rita said sarcastically, despite the terrible pain in her shoulder.  
Lilligant smiled slightly. "You dislocated your shoulder," she said. She glanced over ot the curtains. "I wish I could help. But as you can see, I can't pick up anything..."  
"It's okay," Rita said, grimacing. "It's not your fault." Then Rita thought of something.  
_Why hadn't she told me earlier? _Rita wondered. _Is she bad too?_  
A pang of guilt hit Rita like a bullet. Jet had been right. Rae was evil, and she had givin poor Jet a hard time about it.  
"What's their plan, Mightyena and Rae and them..?" Rita asked Lilligant. She paused. "And what are me and the others here for?"  
Lilligant sighed. Her ghostly body drifted next to Rita.  
Rita felt comfort next to the green ghostly Pokemon. Sitting next to her seemed so familiar...  
"You are here," Lilligant started. "To save the world. Not only the human world, but the Pokemon world you are now in."  
_Save the world!?_  
"You came here wanting to stop Dark Palkia. That also involves stopping Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyruem." Lilligant took a breath, even though she seemed dead. "Mightyena wants revenge, and Rae teamed up with him because he hates humans, which is really weird because he _is _a human, but whatever."  
"But what are they planning?!" Rita asked.  
"They are planning to trap you all in places you can't escape so you can't disrupt their plan."  
"But what _is _their plan?!"  
Lilligant paused. "To destroy the human world. They are going to use Palkia to posess Lord Arceus and destroy the human world he created."  
"Arceus?" Rita had heard of that Pokemon before, but she wasn't sure what it was.  
"Arceus created the universe, Pokemon and human. If he created it, he can destroy it. Since Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyruem are already posessed, there's no way Arceus can stand up to all of them."  
"And they are trapping us because they think we're a threat to _Palkia?! _There's no way we could take Palkia and the others on by ourselves!" Rita said.  
"You can," Lilligant said, smiling. "Right now, even though it doesn't know it, you, Vicky, Jet, and Rici are the only hope this world has."  
"What do you mean _this _world?" Rita asked. "It's the human world they want to destroy."  
"The human world and the Pokemon world keep eachother in balance. If one is destroyed, the other collapses. Mightyena and Rae don't know that," Lilligant said worriedly.  
Rita thought for a moment. This was all coming at her at once... and the others were in danger! The whole world was in danger! Rita's shoulder started to hurt even more.  
She needed to get out of Floor 23. The windows wouldn't open, and she wouldn't dare try that again. Screaming for help wouldn't work, the walls were too thick. Maybe Lilligant could warn them.  
Rita turned to Lilligant. "Could you contact them, the others?" she asked.  
Lilligant shook her head. "I can only talk to them when they are around you. I'm bound to you and only you. If they aren't around you I can't speak to them." She sighed. "I'm sorry."  
Rita looked out the window. She remembered meteors had something to do with the whole space-disortion thing, but seeing the dark sky suddenly made her tired. She hadn't realized how late it was. She felt her eyes growing drowsy.  
_In the morning... _she thought, even though she didn't want to sleep in a place like this. The sounds would keep her up all night.  
"I'm tired..." she told Lilligant.  
"Then sleep," Lilligant told her. "We'll find a way to you get out in the morning."  
Rita smiled, and limped over to the small cotton bed in the room. It felt just like her's in her room.  
_Maybe Smoke will suspect something... _she thought. _He won't just let my absense to return go unanswered. _  
The thought reassured her. Lilligant drifted over to her, and laid down next to her.  
Again, a familiar feeling overflowed Rita. Who _was _Lilligant, exactly?  
Rita drifted off, thoughts buzzing through her mind, but only one stayed clear;  
She had to find a way to warn the others.

As minutes faded into hours, Smoke grew worried. Where was Rita? Had she been attacked on that scary floor? Moon and Plasma had decided to wait with him for Rita's return, while everyone else headed to bed.  
"What do you think happened?" Moon asked.  
"We should go look for her," Plasma suggested. She looked extremely worried.  
"I-I don't know.." Smoke stuttered. What was taking Rita so long?  
There was a long silence.  
"I'm going," Plasma finally said, breaking the silence.  
"Well, I'm coming too," Smoke agreed.  
Moon just sighed.  
The three walked towards the elevator they used to get to Floor 23. Smoke hit the "Up" button. Nothing.  
"Why isn't it working?!" he growled, and hit it 10 times more.  
"Maybe it's broken," Moon said.  
"Broken? It was fine earlier!" Smoke replied.  
_I need to get to Rita!_  
"Oi, Smoke, Plasma, Moon!" a voice said from behind them.  
Smoke turned around to see Shield, a Shieldon from Team Resurrect. Him and his team lived on Floor 22 also.  
"Why are you up so late? We're all tryin' to sleep!"  
"We were... uh..." Smoke stuttered, not knowing what to say.  
"We heard an annoying buzzing sound coming from the elevator!" Plasma said, coming to his rescue. "But, it's gone now!"  
"Ah, I see." Shield looked around. "Where's the human?"  
_The human... Is that what they call her now? _Smoke wondered.  
"She's sleeping," Plasma said.  
"Oh, alright. Well, goodnight!" Shield said, then disappeared into his room.  
Moon lowered her voice to a whisper. "We need to tell Lady Pidgeot," she whispered.  
"No way!" Plasma whispered loudly. "Do you want to get Rita into trouble?!"  
"Shhh!" Smoke hushed. "And I think we should... if the elevator isn't working, she won't be able to get down!"  
"Well how are we supposed to tell her if the elevator isn't working?!" Plasma asked.  
Moon pointed towards the end of the hallway. "You really are hopeless. There's another elevator, only this one doesn't have a 23 button. It's down past the balcony."  
Smoke and Team Attract walked down the hallway. He was surprised to see another elevator.  
_When did that get there?_  
Plasma pushed the "Down" button.  
"What floor is Lady Pidgeot on?" she asked.  
"Seven," Moon replied as the elevator doors opened. These doors were painted gold instead of silver.  
The three stepped inside. Plasma hit the "7" button, and soon the elevator was going down.  
When the golden doors opened, Smoke was too busy wondering about Rita to notice. Moon tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump. All three of them made their way towards Lady Pidgeot's room. She wasn't there. Smoke glanced around. There were two other rooms on the floor. One belonged to Team Rivalry, the other Rae was staying in for the night. A noise from the elevator made him jump. Quickly, the three Pokemon scampered into Lady Pidgeot's room, peering out from the doorway, where there was no door. From the golden elevator they were just in came a large Raichu. The darkness made it hard to see, but Smoke could tell that the Raichu was Rae.  
"Someone got off on this floor," he hissed, looking around.  
"Just leave it," a voice whispered from the elevator. Night stepped out, quickly followed by Golbat and Mightyena.  
"No way Night, idiot," Mightyena growled. "What if they heard us?"  
"What's Rae doing with Team Shade?" Plasma whispered in Smoke's ear. He shook his head. He had been wondering the same thing.  
"Oh.. it's only Rae," Moon said loudly, then quickly covered her mouth.  
The four heads turned to where Smoke, Plasma, and Moon were hiding. Smoke stepped out. There was no use hiding now.  
"What are you three doing, sneaking around so late?" Rae whispered, sounding normal.  
Moon and Plasma stepped out of Lady Pidgeot's room also.  
Smoke glared at Mightyena. What was Rae doing with _him_?  
"What are you looking at?" Mightyena sneered.  
"Be quiet," Rae whispered. "There's another team on this floor."  
"Rae, what are you doing with _them_?" Plasma asked.  
"What's so bad about _us_?" Golbat said.  
"It's simply a talk about why you should not acuse people of being a hazard to the world," Rae answered, smiling. "Nothing to worry about."  
"Oh, okay then," Moon said, smiling back. She paused. "But Rita got stuck on Floor 23, we think. The elevator that goes to that floor is broken."  
"Oh, that's terrible!" Rae gasped, still keeping his voice low.  
_What's his deal? _Smoke wondered. _He seems... different. _He remembered what Jet had said about Rae earlier. Maybe they all really _did _have a reason to worry.  
"You..." Smoke started, stepping closer to Rae. "I don't trust you, where's Rita?"  
"Oh, what a fan club that chick has," Rae sighed. "Come with us for a sec, kay? We'll help you get to Rita."  
_Should we trust him?_  
"Of course, Rae!" Moon said, smiling again.  
"Why would Team Shade want to help us get to Rita?" Smoke asked, now extremely suspicious. "They hate us."  
"Aw, we don't _hate _anyone," Mightyena said, smirking. "We're both rescue teams, aren't we? We need to rescue Rita."  
_This is really strange._  
"C'mon," Rae said. "Lets go to the elevator."  
Without hesitation, Moon followed Rae. Plasma stopped for a second, but followed her partner. Smoke followed them last.  
_I still don't trust them._  
They all crowded in the elevator, Rae occasionally flashing smiles at the three of them. Smoke looked at Moon, who was staring at Rae with google eyes. He glanced at Plasma. She was throwing disgusted looks at Golbat for some reason.  
The elevator stopped at the second floor. They all stepped out.  
"Rita's not going to be on the second floor," Smoke hissed.  
"Relax, we can get to her outside," Rae said jollily.  
As they walked across the huge floor, Smoke noticed that Golbat had drifted down towards Plasma in the back of the group. He seemed to be whispering something to her. She looked confused and distrusting at first, but then her face looked terrified. She jogged over to where Smoke and Moon were.  
"We need to get away from Rae and Mightyena," she whispered violently, her voice shaking.  
"Why?" Moon asked. "Rae's so nice."  
"No, him and Mightyena are crazy!" she whispered. "They're trying to get rid of us, and Rita and Jet and Jet's team and Vicky and Flower!"  
"Who says?" Moon asked.  
"Golbat," Plasma replied.  
"Why would you trust his word? You hate him."  
"He seemed serious this time," Plasma told her. "We need to make an excuse to get away or something!"  
"You're lying," Moon sighed. "Again."  
"I'm not!"  
"Are too!"  
"Am not!"  
"Are too!"  
"Hey, you guys coming?" Rae asked from ahead of them.

Smoke looked over his shoulder at Rae. He was now convinced that Rae was on the bad side, but why would Golbat tell Plasma all that?

_Why would _he _help _us_? He's part of Team Shade._

He wasn't convinced that Golbat was telling the truth, but better safe than sorry, right?

"Actually, we're quite tired," Plasma said, breaking away from her fight with Moon. "I think Rita is probably sleeping, so why wake her?"

"Are you sure you want to leave her up there?" Mightyena asked, smirking. "Some friend you all are."

"We're sure," Smoke growled.

"Why don't you come with us anyway?" Rae asked, suddenly behind them. Smoke turned around, looking up at the large grinning Raichu.

"We're leaving," Smoke said firmly, and turned to walk around him towards the other elevator.

Rae stepped in front of Smoke, blocking his path.

"Move outta the way, fatso," Plasma said, sounding slightly angry.

"Name calling now, eh?" Rae asked, grinning wider. "I _really _think you should come with us."

"No, move!" Smoke demanded, and shoved Rae.

"Now don't get aggressive," Mightyena laughed.

Smoke looked back around at Golbat, who apparently had "warned" Plasma.

Golbat caught his gaze, and looked over his shoulder at Night and nodded.

"Rae, Mightyena!" she called. Both of their heads' whipped around.

Golbat left the room, and soon returned with a heavy looking book. Smoke noticed it said "Dictionary" in big words on the front.

"I heard someone from over that way!" she called, and pointed with one paw towards the opposite direction she was facing.

Rae looked towards where she was pointing. "What?! Is someone-" he was cut off as Golbat smashed the dictionary he grabbed down on to his skull. Rae fell to the ground, making a _thunk! _sound.

Mightyena looked down at Rae's body. "What the he-" he was also cut off as Golbat smacked the large book to the back of his head.

"Learning hurts, doesn't it?" Golbat asked, smiling slightly.

_What? Why are they helping us?_

"What...?" Moon sounded just as confused as Smoke was. "Why did you knock out Rae?!"

"Because he's an idiot," Night said from across the room. "Like him..." She pointed with her paw at Mightyena, who was laying emotionless on the floor, except for only the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"I told Plasma already," Golbat said. "He's dangerous."

"If he is, why are you helping us?" Smoke asked.

Golbat laughed. "Don't take our "help" the wrong way," he started. "We hate you." He looked sadly at Mightyena. "But _he's _gone insane... And when he found out Rita, Jet, Rici, and Vicky were humans, he knew he needed to stop them from stopping Palkia..."

"Why would he _not _want to stop Palkia?" Plasma asked.

Golbat looked down at her, than back at Mightyena. "He wants to get Palkia to posess Arceus and kill the human world."

"He doesn't know that if he destroys the human world, he destroys the Pokemon world," Night finished.  
"Wait, what?" Plasma asked.  
"Right now we're on your side," Golbat told her.  
_They're on our _side_? When did "sides" start?_  
"If all of this is true, we need to tell Lady Pidgeot," Moon said.  
"And you think she'll believe us?" Night asked. "Please. She thinks to highly of Rae to think he's evil and such."  
"How do we know you're not lying?" Smoke asked suspiciously. "When did you agree to "betray" Mightyena?"  
"How could we make something like that up?" Golbat asked. "Don't be such a dunce," he sneered.  
"We agreed after Mightyena kidnapped Jet," Night finally said. "And we're not _betraying _him. We're helping him."  
"Mightyena kidnapped Jet?!" Smoke asked, stunned. "Where is he?!"  
"We're not sure," Night replied. "Rae dragged his body off somewhere while Mightyena told us to stay with him."  
"What should we do?!" Moon asked. "Vapor and Dew are gonna wake up and Jet's not gonna be there!"  
"Go to your rooms for now," Night said. "Rae and Mightyena will wake up soon, we're going to say they both passed out and you three got away."  
"You must have some good lying skills," Plasma said, narrowing her eyes.  
"Well, we're not lying to you!" Golbat yelled at her. "And really, why would we want you _dead_? We don't like you, but we wouldn't wish that upon anybody."

Plasma still looked uneasy, but nodded. The three went up to their rooms. Moon and Plasma went off to their room. Everyone had agreed that Jet and Rita needed to be found, and that they somehow had to expose Mightyena and Rae.

Smoke snuggled up in his bed. He felt a chill run down his spine. For some reason, he was cold. Maybe it was because Rita wasn't with him.

•

As Rita opened her eyes, she took in her surroundings. As she glanced around, she remembered she was still on Floor 23, and that everyone else was in danger. Her shoulder ached where she had dislocated it, and she was freezing. Even though it was morning, the room still had a dark tone to it. She glanced over her good shoulder to check if Lilligant was still with her. She wasn't.

Rita nervously glanced around.

"Over here, Rita!" a voice called.

Rita looked towards where the voice came from. Lilligant was floating near the window that Rita had tried to open.

"Try attacking it," Lilligant told her. "We haven't tried that yet."

Rita limped over towards the window. She powered up a blizzard. As the cold licking in her mouth became unbearable, shereleasedit on the window.

Rita watched closely as the smoke from the blast cleared up. The window was still the same.

"Try again," Lilligant saidencouragingly.

Rita fired another blizzard and some thunderbolts again and again. Still nothing.

"How am I going to get out?!" Rita askedfrantically. "The others are in danger, and I'm stuck on this stupid floor!"

Lilligant gave her a sympathetic look. "Smoke, Plasma, and Moon found out," she said. "You know, about Rae and Mightyena."

"What?! How?! And how do you know?"

_At least they know to stay away from them now..._

"Night and Golbat told them last night," she said. "And I'm... kinda like a wandering soul. I can go through floors and such."

"Why would Golbat and Night tell them?" Rita asked. "They're on Mightyena's side, aren't they?"

"Not anymore. They think Mightyena's gone crazy," Lilligant replied.

"Who's idea was it to help them?"

"Golbat's, surprisingly."

_Why would Night and Golbat help them? And why would it be _Golbat's _idea?_

"Are you sure they weren't lying?"

"I can tell when someone lies. They weren't lying," Lilligant told Rita. "Golbat knocked Rae and Mightyena out."

"With what?"

"A dictionary," Lilligant replied. She paused for a second. "And Rae kidnapped Jet."

_What?! Jet's been kidnapped?!_

"H-How?!" Rita stuttered.

"He went to see what Rae was up to, and they found him and knocked himunconscious."

_It's all my fault..._

"What did they knock him out with?" Rita asked. "Food?"

"A dictionary," Lilligant replied.

"Where is he now?!" Rita asked, afraid for the shiny Floatzel. He was one of her closest friends, and she hadn't listened to him when he tried to tell her about his suspicions of Rae. Now he was trapped somewhere.

"He's under the Camp, in a secret room," Lilligant replied.

"I have to get to him!"

"How can you? You're stuck in here," Lilligant pointed out.

"I have to get out of here..."

"Duh."

Rita sat down in despair. Jet was trapped, and the others were in danger. Her only hope was that Smoke, Plasma, and Moon could warn everybody. She felt like she was about to cry, when Lilligant floated over to her. She put her ghostly green arm around Rita's shoulder. Because she waspractically dead, Rita shouldn't have felt the warmth thatemanated from Lilligant's arm. Not knowing what she was doing, she leaned in to Lilligant, then quickly realized that she would probably fall through her ghostly body. She prepared herself for the fall, but as she leaned in Lilligant's body was just like her's. She wondered why the flower Pokemon seemed so solid now, but she quickly brushed the question away. Rita needed comforting.

"It'll be all right," Lilligant said gently. "Don't worry yourself, you and everyone else will be fine."

Again, Rita felt that familiar feeling.

•

As he opened his eyes, Jet couldn't see anything. The back of his head was throbbing where Mightyena had hit him. Jet tried to move his arms, but he quickly discovered they were tied up, along with his legs. He guessed he had a blindfold on, and something was muffling his voice. He decided to rely on his other sense, and strained to listen for any voices. Nothing.

_What am I going to do? _Jet asked himself. _Rita is probably stuck on Floor 23 by now, and the others are in danger! Smoke will probably realize something's wrong... but will he figure it out? Dew and Vapor will freak outimmediately... It might take Vicky and Flower to realize something is wrong, and Rici is just a mystery... Moon will probably get too worried and Plasma... Plasma is hopeless._

Jet powered up a Razor Wind in his tail, then quickly realized that they were also confined in a rope.

_Great..._

•

Plasma awoke with a yawn. She glanced over at Moon, who was still sleeping. Something important was happening, something she should be worried about. She quickly remembered.

_Rita's stuck on 23... and we have to help her... _She ran what she had learned through her head. _The world is in danger, and Rae is the bad guy. Night and that obnoxious Golbat are on our side._

She looked at Moon again. She leaned in towards her ear. "WAKE UP!" Plasma shouted.

Moon squeaked in panic at the sudden loud noise. She looked around, and finally spotted Plasma.

"We're searching for Rita," Plasma said. "But first we have to go to Floor Two..."

"Oh yeah..." Moon replied, now seeming sad at the thought of Rita trapped on the haunted floor.

Plasma and Moon met up with Smoke, who seemed extremely stressed.

"You look tired," Moon pointed out.

"I couldn't sleep last night," Smoke said, his voice low and robotish. "Without Rita there I couldn't get any rest."

"That sucks," Plasma remarked. "Well, when we find her you'll get some sleep!"

"Maybe... but I don't think I'll have the energy..." he replied, yawning.

"Jet and Dew and Vapor and Vicky and Flower can probably help us," Plasma said, trying to cheer him up. "And Weedle, wherever he went."

The three stepped into the elevator. Moon hit the "Floor Two" button and soon they were heading down. The elevator stopped at Floor 18.

Vapor and Dew entered the elevator. They both looked as stressed as Smoke.

"You three..." Vapor said, sighing what sounded like relief. "Finally, someone we can talk to."

"What's wrong?" Moon asked. She looked around them. "Where's Jet?"

"Jet never came back last night," Vapor explained. "We were up waiting for him but he never came back. We started freaking out.

Plasma, Moon, and Smoke exchanged uneasy glances.

_Did Rae and Mightyena get to him? _Plasma wondered.

"Rita never came back either," Smoke said.

"Ha," Dew laughed. "Maybe they ran off together."

"I don't think so," Moon said. "She's stuck on 23."

"What?" Vapor asked. "How?!"

"Rae and Mightyena broke the elevator," Smoke replied.

"Rae?" Dew asked, confused. "Why would Rae do that? He's too cool for that."

"It's a long story, we'll explain it later," Moon said. "Now we have to think of a way to get to Jet and Rita."

"Who told you all this?" Vapor asked. "Rae wouldn't do that."

"Night and Golbat," Plasma told them.

"And you believe them?" Dew asked, stunned. "Don't be an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot!" Plasma snapped. "And we believe them because they aren't lying!"

"How do you know that?" Vapor asked her. "They are both liars!"

As she said that, the gold elevator doors opened, letting Mightyena, Golbat, and Night inside.

"Who's a liar?" Mightyena asked, walking in. He shot glares at Plasma, Moon, and Smoke. "You three... where'd you go last night? We were gonna help you find Rita." He laughed. "But apparently Rae and I "Passed out" according to these two." He pointed with his tail at Golbat and Night. "Though I find it hard to believe."

Plasma looked at Golbat, who was already staring at her.

_What is he looking at? I know I'm gorgeous but no need to stare._She made a face at him. He scowled at her, then quickly looked at Mightyena.

Smoke glared back at Mightyena. "You weren't trying to help us."

"Why wouldn't we?" Mightyena asked innocently.

"Shut up. We don't need any of your help anyway," Smoke snarled.

"Angry today, aren't we?" Mightyena asked, smirking.

"Don't bother us," Smoke growled.

"Wait, help with what?" Dew asked.

The gold elevator doors opened. Everyone stepped out, leaving Dew with an unanswered question.

"EXCUSE ME!" he shouted, chasing after Smoke, Plasma, and Moon. "What did he mean?"

"Shhh," Moon shushed him. "It's time to start the pledge."

Lady Pidgeot started. "I always promise..." As everyone else chimed in, Plasma looked around for Victoria and Flower. They could probably help them search for Rita.

She spotted them near the front of the group of teams next to Pidgey and Rici. Seeing the small Pidgey made Plasma think of another small Pokemon they had been with during the trip to Shard Mountain. Weedle.

She glanced around, realizing she hadn't seen the small bug Pokemon for quite a while. _Maybe he went back home?_

When the pledge finished, Plasma, Smoke, and Moon stayed while everyone else went to do their duties. Vapor and Dew turned towards them.

"Okay, tell us," Vapor started. "What exactly happened?"

"What do you mean what happened?" Victoria asked, walking up to them. "Where's Rita?"

"And Jet?" Flower asked.

Plasma looked over her shoulder, worried that Mightyena or Rae might hear them. She hadn't seen Rae since last night.

"Let's go somewhere someone can't hear us," Smoke whispered.

The group of Pokemon all sat down inside Team Water Pulse's room.

Rici came inside. "Alright, coast is clear..." he said.

"Now," Vapor started. "Explain."

•

As Smoke finished telling everyone what Golbat and Night had told them, everyone was speechless. There was a long silence, indicating that they all also believed Golbat and Night's story.

"Well," Dew started, breaking the silence. "We better hurry and find Jet and his girlfriend."

Everyone laughed slightly, just because a laugh was needed.

"Half of us should search for Jet while the other half finds a way to get Rita off that floor," Vapor suggested.

"I'll help get Rita..." Rici said.

"Alright," Dew started. "You, Team Attract, and Smoke can get her. Vapor and I and Team Luck can search for Jet."

"Sounds good!" Victoria said. She didn't seem to be grieving for Chance anymore.

As they all agreed with each other, and Team Water Pulse and Team Luck left to search for Jet, Plasma heard a small, timid voice from the hallway. "WHO DARES TO EAVESDROP ON US?!" she boomed. She whipped her head around, wanting to know who the intruder was.

Looking up at her with timid eyes was Pidgey, Lady Pidgeot's son.

"I-I can help you find Rita," he stammered.

"Did you hear our conversation?" Smoke asked.

"Yes, and I believe that it's all true," he said. "And you're right about my mom probably not believing it..." He looked down at his feet. "She hasn't really been talking or doing anything since Exploud fell off that mountain. The last thing she would want to hear is that Rae is evil. Apparently he was her best explorer."

Everyone was quiet for a while, before Rici spoke. "Who really is Exploud?" he asked. Plasma had forgotten that they brought him back from the island while Pidgeot and Exploud were out searching for Dew.

"He was a member of our team," Pidgey explained. "And kinda like my father."

"And he's dead?"

"Yes."

"Okay, how do we find Rita?" Plasma interrupted. The last thing she wanted to listen to was a conversation about Exploud.

"There's another way to get to Floor 23 besides the elevator," Pidgey said.

"For real?!" Moon asked. "How?"

"Only me, my mom, and Exploud knew," Pidgey said. "You can't tell _anybody. _Not even yourselves."

"Okay, we won't, just show us!" Smoke snapped.

Pidgey ignored Smoke's rudeness and lead them into the hallway.

"It's in your room, Smoke!" he chirped. They all walked into Smoke and Rita's room.

"Wouldn't Rita or I have noticed by now?" Smoke asked.

"It's cleverly hidden," Pidgey said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He flew up to the picture with the Pledge written on it. He moved the picture to the side with his wing. Behind the frame was a large crawlspace.

"This is the way to Floor 23," Pidgey sang. "This is the way to Floor 23! This is the way to Floor 23!"

_A secret crawlspace?! I want one of those!_

The group of Pokemon lifted themselves into the crawlspace.

The tunnel seemed to go on forever, everyone in cased in darkness.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: The Game

Rita yawned, as she woke up once again. Lilligant was gone again.

Rita's stomach growled. She hadn't had anything to eat for a while, since she was trapped up here.

"Lilligant!" she called, missing her friend already, even if she _was _a ghost.

Lilligant didn't respond.

"Lilligant!" Rita called again. Rita narrowed her eyes, and looked around for the transparent flower Pokemon.

"Good news!" Lilligant yelled, suddenly up in Rita's face.

Rita shrieked, and fell backwards.

"Oh," Lilligant said, covering her ghostly mouth with her hands. "Sorry!" She laughed slightly.

Rita sat up, rubbing her head. Her shoulder still hurt too. "What's the good news?" she asked.

"You'll be out of here soon!" Lilligant cheered. "Apparently there's a secret tunnel leading from your room to this floor, and some of your friends are on their way to get you."

"Usually with good news, there's also bad news..." Rita said. At least she would finally be out of here.

"I wasn't gonna tell you that..." Lilligant replied, shrugging.

"What is it?"

"You remember Froslass, right?" Lilligant asked.

"Which one?"

"The nice one, the one that told you everything that was happening."

"Yeah, I've been wondering where she went," Rita sighed.

"Well she's been posessed by her sister."

"What?!"

_How did her sister posess her?! _Rita wondered.

"Rae convinced her to," Lilligant replied to her thoughts.

"Why didn't she freeze Rae, like she froze Dew?" Rita asked.

"Because she thinks of Rae as 'Master'," Lilligant replied.

"Master? But Rae attacked Froslass along with Jet while we were at Shard Mountain," Rita said, confused.

"It was part of Rae's plan to gain your trust," Lilligant replied.

Sudden anger pulsed through Rita. "Why didn't you tell me any of this earlier?!" She asked. "If you had we wouldn't be in this mess!" Was Lilligant the enemy?

"I didn't know!" Lilligant yelled back. "And if I did would you have believed me?!"

Rita thought for a moment. She had had complete faith in Rae back at Shard Mountain. "No..." Rita replied, looking away. She felt bad about snapping at the ghostly Pokemon.

Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name.

"Rita?! Rita where are you?!"

There was no doubt about it. It was Smoke's voice.

"Smoke?!" she called. "I'm right here!" She limped fastly over towards the direction of Smoke's voice. As the Quilava's flickering flame came into view, she breathed a sigh of relief. _Finally! I can get out of here!_

He, followed by Plasma, Moon, and Rici tackled her in a hug. Rita escaped from the hug, and looked at them all. "It's so great to see you all!" she said, relieved.

"Rita we thought I thought you were DEAD," Plasma said loudly.

"Are you alright?!" Smoke asked violently. "Are you hurt?"

"Just my shoulder," Rita replied, cringing at the pain in it. "But other then that I'm fine."

"I'll see if my mommy has something for it," Pidgey chirped. "But it's so good to see you, Ritaaa!"

Rita smiled. It was good to see the small bird too.

"Was it scary?" Moon asked.

"Not as much as I thought it would be," Rita replied, grinning.

"Did you see any ghosts?" Plasma asked.

"Kind of," Rita said. "But she's really nice."

"W-Who was it?" Moon asked, stuttering.

Rita slowly turned towards where she was sitting with Lilligant. "I'd like you all to meet Lilli-" Rita stopped when she saw that the ghostly Lilligant had disappeared. "...gant," she finished.

"I don't see her," Rici said, his expression motionless.

"She was right there..." Rita said, looking around for Lilligant. "Lilligant!" she called. _Where had she gone?_

"We have so much to tell you," Moon said.

"I already know," Rita replied. "Lilligant told me."

"And you also know that Jet is missing, also?" Smoke asked.

"Yes," Rita replied. _Poor Jet... _The thought of the silver Floatzel made her head spin. _What is he to me? What _was _he to me, when I was a human?_"But I know where he is."

"Where?!" everyone asked in unison.

"He's under the Rescue Camp, Rae and Mightyena put him there," she replied.

"Well, now it will make it easier to find him," Pidgey chirped.

•

•

Everyone got through the tunnel that led back down to Rita's room. Rita and the others climbed in the golden elevator, and got out on the second floor, where all the teams seemed to be. Rita knew the elevator didn't take people to the first floor, and she wondered how they would get to Jet.

A shriek from another Pokemon broke her from her thoughts. She felt the floor beneath her begin to rumble, and soon the whole floor of Pokemon was in panic.

Lady Pidgeot rushed out of the Silver Room, and looked about wildly. "Everyone outside!" she demanded.

Everyone ran towards the stairwell, the whole camp in chaos.

"W-What's happening?!" Plasma asked, running beside Rita. Her voice was shaking.

"An earthquake!" Pidgey chirped from above her. "I think."

Rita's head turned all around, wondering what could be causing the earthquake. As her paws reached the green, soft grass, she glanced around wildly, looking for the others.

"Look!" she heard a Pokemon shriek. Rita whipped her head around. A terror-stricken Espeon was pointing with her pink paw at the sky, her eyes filled with horror.

Everyone's heads followed her paw towards the gray sky. A huge rock like structure was heading right towards them.

Shrieks of horror filled the air, and Rita could hear the Pokemon of Light Town shrieking also.

"GET AWAY!" Lady Pidgeot's voice rose above the screams, and everyone scattered.

Rita ran straight towards Crystal Beach. As her paws reached the sand, she looked around frantically trying to spot someone. A few other Pokemon had had the same idea of coming to the beach. Rita spotted Shield and Omanyte, two Pokemon from Team Resurrect that shared the same floor with her. She noticed Archen wasn't with them. The only other Pokemon she saw was Snivy; the shy, female grass Pokemon from team Jewel. Rita glanced nervously around for someone she actually _knew. _Relief flooded through her as she spotted Flower floating towards her, looking extremely afraid.

"What is that?!" Flower asked above the screams.

"It's a meteorite!" Shield answered.

"It's going to hit the Rescue Camp!" Snivy cried.

And just as she predicted, it did.

The meteor hit the side of the Rescue Camp that Rita guessed was Floor 11. It started by going right through Floor 11, and as it did that, it landed right beside the camp. Since Floor 11 was holding up the floors above it, they allcollapsed straight down into the remaining rooms, causing windows to shatter, and pretty soon every part of the camp was demolished. demolished. Dark smoke filled the air, and everything was silent. The silence seemed to hold out, as everyone took in what had just happened.

Then Rita remembered.

_JET IS BENEATH THE CAMP!_

She probably screamed, but soon she was running straight towards the broken camp, digging through rubble, trying to get to Jet. Her dislocated shoulder howled in pain, but she didn't care. She dug and dug, and eventually came to what used to be Floor 2. A small opening let her get through to the room. Dust got in her eyes, but that didn't stop her. She dug through more. She felt something hard hit her in the back of the head. Her vision started to go black, and the last thing she heard was someone calling her name.

•

•

•

In herunconsciousness, Rita kept seeing meteorites, and meteorites crushing into things she loved.

She saw a meteorite smash into Plasma, Rici, and Moon, who were enjoying some ramen in the cafeteria.

She saw a meteor smash into Vicky, Moon, and Chance, suprisingly, because she's dead already.

She watched a meteor crush Jet, Vapor, and Dew, who were each sharing a friendly conversation about how stupid Mightyena is.

A meteor smashed into Lady Pidgeot, who right before had a friendly, welcoming smile on her face.

Finally, she watched in horror as one smashed into Smoke. Blood flew around in the air, followed by Mightyena's voice saying, "_It's her! This is her fault!"_

That all disappeared suddenly, as a green, flowery Pokemon took it's place. A nicearoma filled the air, and Ritarecognized the flowery Pokemon as Lilligant.

"Lilligant!" Rita called. "Where did you go before?!"

"Away..." she replied. "I got scared."

"Scared of what? Plasma's face?" Rita asked.

Lilligant giggled slightly. "I knew what was going to happen, and I freaked out. I'm sorry I didn't help you!"

Rita ignored that part. "What caused the meteorite?" Rita asked. She paused, before adding, "was it me?"

Lilligant looked sympathetic. "Of course it wasn't you," she said gently. "It was Rae. He got Palkia to send a meteor to the camp."

"Why would he do that?!" Rita asked, stunned. "I know he wants us gone, but that's putting everyone's lives at risk! Even Mightyena!"

"Mightyena was out on a mission with his team," Lilligant replied. "Rae saw it as a chance to get rid of you and Jet. He didn't count on you escaping. He thought you were trapped on 23."

_Ha.. so I fooled Rae... _she thoughttriumphantly._But what happened to Jet?!_

Lilligant seemed to answer her thoughts. "Jet is fine," she said calmly. "A little shaken, but fine."

Relief showered over Rita. "How'd he get out?"

"I don't know," Lilligant confessed. "I was with you when he escaped. Something helped him, told him how to get out, but I don't know who..." She paused. "Or _what._"

"Where is he now?"

"Outside with everyone else. He's sitting right beside you, actually. Smoke, Moon, Vicky, Dew, and Flower are there also."

"So they're all okay?" Rita asked.

"Yes," Lilligant replied. "But Vapor, Plasma, and Pidgey are still freaking out in the forest by the back of the camp."

"So everyone is alright?"

"Yes."

Rita closed her eyes, breathing another sigh of relief.

"I'm going to send you back into your consciousness now, okay?" Lilligant asked.

"'Kay," Rita replied, opening her eyes.

"Goodbye, Rita!" Lilligant waved, smiling as she slowly faded away.

"Wait!" Rita started. "If Floor 23 is gone how will I speak to you?!"

She got no answer.

"Lilligant!" Rita called, as her real eyes flew open. She way lying on her back. She spotted clouds floating gently by, in the sky. It looked a bit too refreshing for what had just happened.

"She's awake!" someone called. She recognized the voice as Dew's.

She sat up and looked around. Pokemon were flooded all throughout the grassy fields.

Someone grabbed her arm, squeezing it in a hug. She looked over her shoulder to see Vicky.

"What were you doing, running inside like that?!" she asked.

Rita looked around again, spotting Jet staring at her looking frightened. She pointed at him. "Looking for him," she replied blankly. "I thought he was stuck in the rubble."

Jet's face turned from worried to angry. "You don't just go running into acollapsing camp just because you _thought _I was in there!" he snapped.

"Well sorry for caring..." Rita replied with no emotion. She didn't need his attitude.

Jet looked somewhat sympathetic now. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just glad you're okay." He looked away. "I'm gonna go ask Lady Pidgeot what we're going to do, now that our camp is ruined." With that he walked away, the sun gleaming on his silver skin.

"What happened here?!"

Rita looked around her good shoulder again to see Mightyena, Night, and a Crobat, who was carrying a blue bag.

_The what? Did Golbat evolve or something?_

Rita caught Mightyena's eye, and something in his eyes showed that he really _didn't _know what had happened here. His eyes drifted towards the remains of the Rescue Camp, and then towards the huge meteor lying beside it.

"What did Rae do?" she heard him whisper under his breath.

"What happened... to the camp?" Night asked, looking horrified.

Mightyena was padding at a quick pace towards the rubble.

"Where are you going?" Rita heard Crobat ask.

"I left something in there before we left!" Mightyena barked back, and he soon disappeared under the rubble.

Night and Crobat were over by Rita and Vicky now.

"So... what happened?" Night asked again.

Victoria explained the meteor, and how it destroyed the Rescue Camp.

"Where's Plasma?" Crobat asked, looking worried. He paused. "And Vapor and Pidgey," he added quickly.

"They're still taking cover," Dew replied, slowly walking over.

"Did you evolve?" Rita asked Crobat, changing the subject. She didn't want to talk about meteors. A thought crossed her mind; that the other teams would think this was _her _fault, like Mightyena hadaccused before. And her team name being Team Meteor didn't quickly brushed off the thought. It stressed her out.

Crobat looked at her like she was stupid. "Duh," he replied. "Isn't it obvious?"

Even though Crobat was on her side, she still hated his attitude. Night, on the other hand, seemed to actually be really nice. Being with Mightyena must have made her a bit rude.

"Mommy!"

Rita looked back to see Pidgey flying at a extremely fast pace towards Pidgeot, who was talking with Jet. He catapulted into her, and the force set her backwards a bit.

Rita watched as Lady Pidgeot's worried face turned to gleeful and happy at the sight of her son.

From the forest Pidgey came from, Rita saw Vapor and Plasma come into view. They both still looked terrified. As they both spotted Rita and everyone else, they quickly rushed over.

"Are you all alright?" Vapor asked.

"Just fine," Dew replied.

"What are we gonna do now, since the Rescue Camp is... well, dead?" Plasma asked.

As if Lady Pidgeot heard her, she addressed the teams. "Teams!" she shouted, as everyone's heads' turned towards her. "It's obvious that we can't stay here. I'm going to have to get the camp rebuilt, but until then we cant stay here." She paused, as looked over all the teams. Pidgey was on her shoulder. "I'll need someone to go into Light Town to tell them that we won't be here for a while, and that I need a Pelipper right away to deliver a message."

"A message for what?" a Pokemon's voice asked above the silence.

"While our camp is being rebuilt, we're going to stay at another rescue area until further notice," Lady Pidgeot replied.

"Where are we going?" Rita heard Moon ask.

"It's a rescue team organization called The Game," Pidgeot said, tilting her head to the side and looking a bit confused. "The three leaders a strange bunch, but they are pretty famous around their area."

The Game? Rita thought that sounded like something everyone played while she was a human. If you think about the game, you lose. Rita wondered if anyone might be listening to her thoughts.

_That would be creepy... _she thought, and snickered a bit. _Ha, whoever you are, you just lost the game._

"It's quite far away," Pidgeot said, breaking Rita from her thoughts. "We are going to travel as three separate groups."

"But no one knows where The Game is but you!" Rita heard Shield say loudly from near the front of the teams.

Pidgeot smiled slightly. "That's why I'm going to have Rae and Team Lightning Bolt come with us," she replied.

"Team Lightning Bolt?!" Rita heard Plasma asked excitedly. She remembered Plasma telling her that they were the team they went on their first mission with. Her smile then turned to a frown. "But they said they were leaving... really far away."

"They're currently in town," Lady Pidgeot replied. She looked around at the teams again. "Team Rose," she announced.

The four grass Pokemon's heads' popped up at her.

"I'd like you four to go into Light Town and explain what we are doing. Also, I need you to fetch Pelipper and get him to come to me," she directed. She paused, waiting for the four Pokemon to do something. "As soon as possible," she added.

"Yes sir, right awayma'am!" the four said in unison, and dashed off towards the direction of light town.

Lady Pidgeot turned her head back towards the remaining teams. "Now we wait, and when they return with Pelipper I'll send a message to The Game telling them that we're on our way over." She paused again. "You are dismissed... to talk." She relaxed her shoulders as talking among the teams resumed.

"What's that?"

Crobat's voice brought Rita back to where everyone was standing. Mightyena had come back, and he placed a brownish box inside Crobat's blue bag.

"None of your business!" Mightyena snapped, then looked over at Rita and Smoke. "This seems awfully suspicious," he snarled. "That a meteor crashed on the Rescue Camp, while your team name happens to be _Team Meteor._"

"Shut up!" Smoke growled. "Nobody has anything to do with it, except maybe _you and Rae._"

"What are you talking about?" Mightyena asked sarcastically.

"You were trying to get rid of us the other night," Smoke growled.

"No, no. We were just trying to get you to Rita," Mightyena replied, grinning.

"And it seems awfully suspicious," Smoke started, repeating Mightyena's tone. "That a meteor fell on the camp while Jet and Rita were trapped inside," Smoke finished.

This comment seemed to make Mightyena flinch a bit. "How did you know Jet was inside?" he asked. He turned towards where Crobat and Night were. "You told them, didn't you?!" he asked accusingly. "Traitors!"

"Why would we betray you?" Night asked. "We wouldn't do that, we didn't tell them!" Her lying seemed so _real. _Like she was actually telling the truth.

_Night's a good liar. _Rita thought to herself.

"Then who did?!" Mightyena growled. He looked at Crobat. "You?!"

"N-No way!" Crobat stuttered. He didn't seem as good as Night.

"Then who did?" Mightyena asked, a low growl humming through his throat.

"I don't know, maybe they just found out," Crobat said.

"So you _did_," Dew said, looking a bit angry. "You admit it, ha ha!"

"Shut up, it's not like anyone would believe you," Mightyena replied, his eyes narrowing as a smirk crept across his face.

"I just want to know," Flower started, her eyes drifting towards the ground. "Why would you destroy the camp?" she asked quietly. "I mean... you ran in earlier for something you left."

Mightyena straightened up. "I had nothing to do with the meteor," he replied blankly.

"Liar," Rici's said, his voice quiet.

"I'm not lying!" Mightyena snapped. His voice lowered to a growl. "I never agreed to the meteor," he said. "Rae must have thought of that on his own."

"Whoa, what happened here?!" Rae's voice shouted.

Rita whipped around. As Rae looked through the crowd of Pokemon, his grin lowered as he caught Rita's eye. He then covered up the frown with a smile.

"Rita!" he shouted, waving his arm back and forth. "Glad to see you're okay!"

_What a faker... _Rita thought to herself.

Rae bounded over to the group, waving in a fake, happy fashion. He glanced around as he arrived. "Where's Jet?" he asked, trying to sound disappointed.

"Over there," Smoke replied, grinning. "With Lady Pidgeot." He looked Rae straight in the face. "Sucks, doesn't it? Your plan failed."

"What plan?" Rae asked innocently.

"They found out," Mightyena growled. "Some how. I don't know how. I still think it was these two." He pointed with his tail towards Crobat and Night.

"Well, it's not like anyone will believe that _I'm _trying to slowly kill you all off one by one so we can destroy the Human world, right?" Rae asked in great detail. "Especially Lady Pidgeot."

"Look, Rae," Rita started. "If you destroy the Human world you destroy the Pokemon world as well. They hold each other in balance!"

"Who cares?" Rae asked. "If the humans are gone, it's worth it."

"There's _nobody _you care about?" Smoke asked. "You can't hate everybody."

"I hate all of you," Rae growled. "Except Mightyena, but he's got the same opinion as me."

Smoke glared at Mightyena. "You hate everyone also? What about Night and Crobat?"

"Sacrifices must be made to get what we need," Mightyena replied dully.

"So you don't care if everybody dies?"

Mightyena paused for a second, his eyes drifting towards Crobat's blue bag. "No, I don't care." He looked from Crobat and Night to Rae. "Let's go, I don't like being in the presence of ugly." He turned and walked away, followed by Rae, Night, and Crobat.

A silence fell upon everyone.

"Hey..." Plasma started, breaking the silence. "Did Golbat evolve or something?"

Moon hit herrepeatedly on the top of her head. "You're such an idiot!" she shouted.

•

•

It seemed like hours before Team Rose appeared with a Pelipper. Lady Pidgeot quickly wrote a letter and gave it back to Pelipper. Pelipper took off, it's white wings shining. It was now dusk, and Rita was getting tired of waiting.

Team Meteor, Team Water Pulse, Team Attract, Rici, and Team Luck were now all sitting in a circle, everyone looking bored. Team Z had joined them for some reason, and so Dragonite, Wigglytuff, and Persian were now sitting with them. Team Lightning Bolt had still not arrived.

"Isn't this exciting?" Wigglytuff was asking everyone. "We get to meet the Pokemon teams of The Game!" He seemed to be the only one acting gleeful.

"Yeah," Dew replied sarcastically. "If you enjoy watching a meteor destroy our Rescue Camp, then yes!" He smiled fakely.

"Well the meteor was pretty!" Wigglytuff said, holding on to his toes and rocking back and forth.

"Not to be rude, but why are you guys here anyway?" Rici asked. He was resting his head in his hand like a bored kid in school.

"Lady Pidgeot told us we'd be in your group for the little travel to The Game Organization," Dragonite replied. "Thought we'd clear things up that we don't think humans being here is the cause of all the catastrophe," he said respectfully.

"Well I dunno think-" Persian was cut off as Dragonite elbowed him in the side. "Ow!" he hissed, then looked back at everyone. "Yeah... you're not that bad."

"Are we all in the same group?" Victoria asked. "The odds of that are kinda slim."

"I'm not sure," Dragonite replied. "But I was told we were in Team Meteor's group."

"I would like to announce the groups we will be traveling in for tomorrow!" Lady Pidgeot suddenly announced. There were three Pokemon standing next to her; a Pachirisu, a Pikachu, and a Zebstrika.

"It's Team Lightning Bolt!" Rita heard Moon whisper excitedly. "I hope we're in their group!"

Lady Pidgeot continued. "Going with Rae will be; Team Light, Team Rose, Tean Nyan..."

Rita heard some Pokemon from Team Nyan giggle.

_Why are they so excited? _She wondered.

"Team Luck..."

"Oh my god..." she heard Vicky sigh. "That's not fair."

"And Team Shadow Cloud," she finished. "Those in Rae's group please stay together."

Rita watched as Flower and Victoria slowly made their way towards a group that was forming by Rae. Victoria shot Rita a glance that said, _help me._

_I wish I could_, Rita thought. _Sorry._

"Going with me would be; Team Z, Team Rivalry, Team Meteor, Team Attract..."

"Aw we're not with Team Lightning Bolt," Plasma sighed, but then turned to Rita and Smoke. "But at least your in our group! I love our group!" she said, smiling.

"And Team Shade," Lady Pidgeot finished.

"I hate our group." Plasma's smile turned to a frown, her eyes narrowed.

"Those in my group... please stay together," Lady Pidgeot shouted.

Rita, Smoke, Moon, and Team Z made their way towards Lady Pidgeot. Rita looked over her shoulder to see Moon dragging Plasma across the grassy field.

"YOU'RE SO HEAVY," Moon complained. "Walk!"

Rita smiled slightly, and looked over at Team Rivalry; a Zangoose and a Seviper.

_What a weird pair... _she thought to herself.

Plasma ignored Moon and continued to let herself get dragged across the field. Others were staring at her like she was a freak.

Pidgeot ignored the commotion, and spoke again. "The remaining teams will go with Team Lightning Bolt," she announced. "Get comfy, we're leaving tomorrow." She looked at Team Rose, who were in Rae's group, closest to the damaged camp. "Did you get the building crew?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am!" Cherry, a Cherubi answered.

Pidgeot nodded, then looked down at her group.

"I'm waking you up early so we can get a head start," she said. "We have no idea what kind of fumes that meteor might have, so it's best we leave A.S.A.P."

The term 'A.S.A.P' reminded Rita of what her mother used to say before she died. Actually, a lot of things Lady Pidgeot did reminded Rita of her mother. Lady Pidgeot was was nice, loving, ad hard to reason with; just like her mother. Rita had never really noticed it before, but Lady Pidgeot resembled her mother in quite a way she couldn't comprehend.

Plasma's shouting at Crobat and Mightyena broke her from her thoughts.

"Okay!" she was saying. "Don't talk to me, don't touch me, don't even look at me!"

"And what if we do?" Mightyena asked, grinning.

"Then I'll..." she paused. "Do something bad! In the future!" Plasma replied, then looked at Night. "But these rules don't apply to Night, 'cause she's cool."

"I can't wait until you die," Mightyena growled, still smirking.

Rita looked towards Lady Pidgeot to see if she heard, but she was over with Rae and Team Lightning Bolt talking about something. Team Z was talking with Team Rivalry.

"Shut up," Smoke hissed. "We _will _stop you, just so you know."

Mightyena laughed. "Just because you say you will, doesn't actually mean you will," he said. "It's just a thing others say to make themselves feel more confident because they don't actually have _any _confidence." He looked Smoke straight in the eyes. "Go ahead, stop me. Right now. I wanna see you do it."

Mightyena's gaze caused Smoke to flinch slightly. He held his gaze for a while. "You'll make it look like I was the bad guy."

"What makes me the bad guy?" Mightyena asked. "The ruin both worlds will cause peace, and isn't that what we all want?"

"How is that peaceful?" Rita asked. "Everyone would be dead, except the space Pokemon."

"With everyone dead, there is peace," Mightyena replied matter-of-factly. "And what's to stop Arceus from creating a new, better world? Where nobody gets hurt, nobody fights, nobody left alone to wait for someone's return..." His voice drifted off, his eyes dropping to his paws.

Night poked his side. "Someone who might come back," she said sympathetically.

"And who might not," Mightyena growled.

Rita had no idea what they were talking about. The conversation made her feel a bit awkward now.

"Let's go talk to Team Lightning Bolt!" Moon said quickly, obviously wanting to get away from Mightyena.

"Alright," Plasma agreed. "if it will get me away from those two, then it's all good." She looked at Rita and Smoke. "You coming?"

"Eh, we don't know them..." Smoke replied. "We'll just go... over... there," he said, pointing with his paw at a patch of very grassish, grassy grass. "Lady Pidgeot we'll be leaving early, so get to sleep soon."

"Aight!" Plasma replied, and darted off towards Team Lightning Bolt, Moon following her.

Rita and Smoke padded towards the grassy grass, trying to ignore the conversation between Mightyena and his team mates. She lied down on the soft grassy grass. It was so grassy.

Smoke lied beside her, his paws tucked in like a cat's.

They both lied in silence.

"I think there's more to Mightyena than we know," Smoke finally said.

"Yeah," Rita agreed. "But let's not think about it too much about it. We should get to sleep."

"Kay," Smoke replied yawning. "Goodnight, Rita."

"Goodnight Smoke."

Rita's stomach growled as Smoke fell asleep. She hadn't eaten anything for a while, because she was trapped up on Floor 23. She looked at the ruined camp. She hadn't been there very long, but it was long enough to make her want to cry at the memory of the meteor crashing into it. Even if the builders _did _rebuild it, it would never be the same. The mess hall, the Silver Room, her room, Jet's room, the passage to Floor 23... And Floor 23 would no longer be haunted. It made Rita wonder where the ghost of Floor 23 would go. The ghost wasdefiantly not Lilligant. Lilligant hadn't died there. Rita wondered who _did _die there.

_Maybe whoever did will cross-over or something... like in T.V shows. _Rita thought. She brushed the thought off, wanting to go to sleep. She glanced at Smoke, who was sleeping soundly. The flame on his back flickered quietly in the darkness.

_How does he fall asleep so quickly? _Rita wondered. _He's like a Snorlax._

Rita closed her eyes, trying to get to sleep.

•

•

Rita didn't remember falling asleep when she heard Lady Pidgeot's whisper, telling her to do something.

She rolled on to her side.

Lady Pidgeot's voice was clearer now. "For the love of Arceus, get UP!" she shouted.

Rita's eyes flew open, glancing around nervously, eventually meeting Lady Pidgeot's, who were staring down at her.

"Now I know what it felt like to be Exploud," Lady Pidgeot sighed, smiling slightly. The sun was just starting to peek out of it's hiding spot behind the ocean.

"Sorry ma'am!" Rita said respectfully, quickly getting up. _I'm such an idiot..._

"You're not an idiot," Lady Pidgeot told her, smiling. "Just lazy. Now get up, we need to leave." She spread her long, golden feathers apart, exposing her gold body. Her feathers ruffled, and she flew in the air, just a few meters above Rita's head. Pidgey was resting peacefully on the top of her head.

Everyone else was up, staring in awe at Lady Pidgeot's beauty.

Once again, the resemblance between Lady Pidgeot and Rita's mother hit Rita again. Rita couldn'tremembera whole lot about her mom, but she remembered she had long, wavy golden hair, the exact color as Lady Pidgeot's feathers. She had been pregnant when she was killed. Rita couldn't remember how she was killed, but she remembered that Rita and Rici were young when it happened.

"I'm coming with your group," Rita heard Rici say from behind her. She turned around. Rici had an unreadable expression on his face, like he usually did. He had probably been a quiet person while he human.

"Great!" Rita replied with a yawn. She was happy her brother was tagging along. Maybe she could share her thoughts about their mother with him.

"Let's get going," Lady Pidgeot called from the air.

"Do we really need to get up so early?" Smoke asked, falling in step with Rita. Rici was on her other side where Plasma usually was.

"I guess the sooner we get there, the better," Moon said, shrugging. She then looked up at Plasma, who was gliding gently with the wind. "Once again, unfair."

Plasma made a face, pulling with her paw on the skin under her eye and sticking out hertongue, just like a little kid. "It's fair if you have the mad skills."

"I think Lady Pidgeot should carry me," Smoke complained.

Rita remembered the first time she met Lady Pidgeot. She had flew her and Smoke to the rescue camp after they saved her from some Rhyperior.

Lady Pidgeot probably heard him, because she swooped down and wrapped her talons around Smoke's front legs, lifting him high into the air.

A terrified look crossed his face. "A-Actually I'd like to walk!" he stammered. "You can put me down!"

"Alright!" Lady Pidgeot said in a sing-songy voice. She released her grip around Smoke and he fell towards the ground. He landed with a _smack!_, and then stood up, groaning.

Everyone laughed, including Rita.

She guessed everyone had the same opinion about one thing, despite what species you are; watching people fall is hilarious.

"Try landing on your feet, not your face," Lady Pidgeot called.

Smoke looked up at her and grinned. "I'll be sure to try that next time!" he called back up to her.

•

•

Hearing that they would be stopping to eat filled Rita with happiness. When Lady Pidgeot announced that they would be eating, Rita squealed a loud, "THANK YOU!", earning her strange looks from everyone.

Despite what had happened to the camp, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Even Mightyena was happily munching away on his berries.

Rita had gulped her's down so fast she asked everyone where her berries had gone. She eyed Smoke's Oran Berries, wanting to eat more. He caught her and pulled his berries closer to him, making a hissing noise.

Plasma had finished her's also. Rita watched as Plasma snatched one of Moon's berries as she turned to say something to Zangoose. She looked back at her pile, not noticing anything was gone. Plasma snickered happily and looked over at Rita, catching her gaze. Rita shook her head at her, grinning. Plasma put her hand to her mouth as to say _Shhh. _She then got up and crept towards Team Shade, probably to take more berries.

Rita looked over at Rici, who was eating in silence. She wanted to explain her thoughts about Lady Pidgeot and their mother to him.

"Hey, Rici," she said, catching his attention.

"What?" he asked. The sun reflected on his eyes, but it didn't seem to bother him.

"Look at Lady Pidgeot, right now," she whispered, not wanting to tell Smoke yet.

Rici's gaze drifted towards the golden Pidgeot. "What about her?"

"I know you haven't known her long, but do you think..." She paused, not knowing what to say. "Do you think she kinda resembles mom?" she asked.

Rici stared for a while at Lady Pidgeot. "In which way?" he finally asked, turning towards Rita. "Outside or personality?"

"Both."

He looked over at her again. "A little bit, I guess. But I didn't know mom for very long, or Pidgeot. And mom's dead, anyway."

"But... I dunno..." She was at loss for words. They fumbled around in her head like rice being shaken. "Do you think she might be a reincarnation or something?"

"I don't believe in reincarnation," Rici answered. "But since we're here as Pokemon, I don't know what's real and what's not." He paused, looking up at the sky, as if looking for what to say. "But we are dead people in dead Pokemon bodies. Reincarnation is being born in a different, living body."

"Do you think that when mom died, she was reincarnated into a dead Pidgey or Pidgeotto or Pidgeot's body?" Rita asked.

"I'm not sure," Rici answered. "But if you think about it..." he looked at Moon, from Smoke, to Wigglytuff, then back to Rita. "They could all have been humans at once, if reincarnation is real." He looked at Lady Pidgeot again. "Mom could have been reincarnated into Lady Pidgeot, if that's what your saying. We could have even been a Pokemon before, then a human, and then a Pokemon again."

Rita hadn't thought of that before. It was strange to think about it, but Smoke and Plasma and Moon could all have been humans before and not have known it. "You're right..." she finally said.

_So Smoke could have been my brother or sister before, in a past life... _She looked at the small Quilava. _How strange to think about that._

A screech from Plasma broke her from her thoughts.

"Give it back!" Crobat yelled at her.

Rita looked at the pile of berries in Plasma's arms.

"Please sir," Plasma replied, in aBritish-ey accent. "I just need some food!"

"Get your own!" Crobat growled. He reached out to take his berries back, but Plasma darted away towards Rita. She crouched behind her before stuffing the berries into her mouth.

"You're an idiot!" Crobat called.

"And idiot who took your berries!" Plasma shot back, smirking.

He scowled, and turned his head away.

"One day he's gonna get back at you," Rita warned, smiling slightly. _Plasma could have been my best friend in a past life, kinda like she is now._

"He wishes!" Plasma replied, sticking her nose into the air. She opened one eye, looking down at Rici's pile of berries. "You gonna finish that?"

Rici looked down at his pile, and back up at her. He made a low growling noise and pulled his pile closer to him.

"Selfish," Plasma remarked.

"You're gonna get fat!" Moon yelled at Plasma.

"No I'm not, you are!"

"Nu uh!"

"Ya huh!"

"Nu uh!"

Plasma and Moon reminded Rita of siblings. Always fighting, acting like they hate each other... but on the inside love each other dearly. They wouldn't give the other food, but would give the other their life.

Exactly the way best friends are.

Thinking about best friends made Rita wonder how Victoria was doing, stuck with Rae as a guide. During their sleep he could randomly murder them, so they probably didn't sleep well. Jet and his team probably weren't having trouble with anything.

"Alright, let's get going."

Lady Pidgeot's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"We don't have all day, I want to make it to The Game by sunset," Lady Pidgeot called.

Everyone got up at once, and Lady Pidgeot flew into the sky again.

Rita tried to stay in step with Smoke, but he kept drifting backwards.

"You're slow!" she teased.

"Sorry!" he replied, catching up to her. "Still tired. And I really don't wanna leave the Rescue Camp..."

"Everyone's with you on that."

Rita looked over to see Team Rivalry padding next to Smoke. It was Zangoose who had spoke. She hadn't really spoke to the two before. Maybe she could get along with them, now that they're in her group. Rita thought Seviper as kind of frightening, though. A huge snake almost twice the size as Smoke, who wouldn't be afraid?

"You can ride on my back, if you'd like," Seviper hissed. "Wouldn't want you falling back."

Smoke's eyes lit up. "Really?" he asked. "Thanks." He climbed up on top if Seviper's silky skin.

"The Rescue Camp will never be the same again," Zangoose remarked. "And it was kinda famous around the world. I wonder how the world will react to it's destruction."

"It will be on T.V for probably months," Rita replied, wanting to talk with the two.

Zangoose looked at her oddly. "What's T.V?" he asked.

_Oops... _"I... I meant it will be in the PokeNews for quite a while. T.V is something used to say PokeNews, you hadn't heard of it?" she said quickly, feeling under pressure.

"I guess not," Zangoose replied.

"Have you ever been to The Game?" Rita asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Once," he said. "It was a really nice place. Team Gem, the ones who founded it, named it _The Game _because they thought going in dungeons and such were just a game when they first founded it. They realized later that it wasn't, but they liked the organization name."

"Who's Team Gem? I know they founded The Game, but what kind of Pokemon are they?" Smoke asked from atop Seviper's back.

"Ruby, a green Essspeon, Emerald, a Togetic," Seviper started. "And their leader'sss name is Garnet, a Renucleusss."

"They're all named after gem stones..." Rita remarked. She remembered Garnet had been her birthstone. Rici's was Aquamarine.

"Yeah, which is why they're called Team Gem," Zangoose said. "The three are really strange, though..."

"What do you mean strange?" Smoke asked.

"Uh..." Zangoose looked around, before locking his eyes on Wigglytuff. "His kind of strange, but stranger. Even Wigglytuff is slightly frightened by them."

"How are they the leaders then?" Rita asked.

"They're unimaginably ssstrong," Seviper hissed. "Every month they arrange a monthly battle tournament for the teams of The Game. It's a single-Pokemon battle, which means you battle alone," Seviper explained.

"You could end up facing your team mate, or end up facing your enemy," Zangoose chimed in. "If you win the tournament, you go up against Ruby first, then Emerald, and then Garnet."

"Nobody has ever beaten Ruby, and she's the weakest of the three," Seviper said.

"Why don't we enter, eh Rita?" Smoke said, laughing.

"I don't feel like getting my butt whooped, but thanks for the offer!" Rita replied.

"Once we get there, we decided that we're both entering," Zangoose said. 'Well, if they'll let us."

"I'd be ssssure to win," Seviper hissed, seeming confident. "But I'm not sssure about Ruby."

"I'll give it some thought," Rita said. Zangoose and Seviper really weren't bad. Why hadn't she talked to them before? The only time she ever came near them was on her first day at the Rescue Camp.

"Oh, and The Game doesn't call the teams 'Rescue Teams'," Zangoose pointed out. "They're called Exploration Teams. Some organizations call teams that. The only other one I know of is Wigglytuff's Guild, though. But that's extremely far away from here."

"Actually," Seviper started. "There was a human at Wigglytuff'sss guild, also. Apparently they sssaved the world and sssuch... but that was a really long time ago." He looked at Zangoose. "About how long ago?"

"Maybe sixty years? That's what my dad said," Zangoose replied.

"What became of that human?" Rita asked.

"They disappeared," Seviper replied coldly.

_Disappeared?!_

"D-Disappeared?" Smoke asked, stunned.

"Yeah... they did their duty and just... vanished. Their partner was devastated," Zangoose said, shaking his head. He then looked at Rita's terrified face. "But good thing you're not here to save the world, or you'd probably end up like that other human!" He laughed slightly.

"Ha ha..." Rita laughed. "Good thing..."

_Am I going to disappear?!_

The thought of leaving everyone frightened her. She felt her stomach churn. Hopefully her situation wasn't like the other human's...

•

•

Rita had migrated away from Zangoose, Smoke, and Seviper towards the far end of the group, contemplating her thoughts.

_Am I going to disappear? Is Vicky going to disappear? Is Jet going to disappear? Is Rici going to disappear? Will Rae disappear too if we stop him?_

Her head buzzed with unanswered questions. Despite asking them to herself, she didn't want to know the answer.

She was so distracted that she didn't notice the incredibly huge building in front of her. She looked up at it. It looked like a department store- only bigger. There was a huge fountain in front of it, and medium sized buildings surrounding it.

A huge sign was hooked on the top of the building. The writing was in huge, dark blue letters;

WELCOME TO THE GAME


	17. Chapter 16: Ten and His PartnerRita?

For some strange reason, the huge sign hit Rita as familiar.

_I've never been here before... _she thought. _So why does this place seem so familiar?_

"Whoa!" she heard Smoke gasp. "It's _HUGE_!"

"It's bigger than the Rescue Camp was!" another Pokemon cried.

As the teams shared excited cries, two Pokemon emerged from the glass sliding doors. One was a green-looking Espeon, the other a cheerful-looking Togetic.

"La-a-a-ady Pidgeot!" the Espeon called to Lady Pidgeot. "We heard ya'll were coming! It's so good to see you again!" She bounded up towards Lady Pidgeot, smiling widely.

The Togetic followed her. "We're sorry 'bout the Rescue Camp!" she said. "Kinda like the Trail of Tears, on your way to get here, right?" She laughed.

_Actually, no, _Rita thought to herself. _This situation isn't nearly as bad as the Trail of Tears. _She looked at the Togetic. _Still... how does she know about that? That was a subject we learned in social studies._ Surely Pokemon didn't have a social studies class.

"Thank's for your sympathy," Lady Pidgeot replied blankly. She seemed a bit annoyed at the two Pokemon. "It's good to see you too; Ruby, Emerald."

Rita was still having speculations that the golden Pidgeot could be her and Rici's mother. _So that's who they are... _she thought, snapping back to Ruby and Emerald.She remembered Zangoose talking about how the two helped Garnet, the leader-leader, run The Game. Ruby was the Espeon, and Emerald was the Togetic. She also remembered Zangoose saying that they were both incredibly strong.

Ruby and Emerald peered around Lady Pidgeot, surveying the teams that had come with her.

"Is this it?" Emerald asked.

"Last time I visited the Rescue Camp, there were _way _more teams," Ruby pointed out. "Did they all die or something?"

"I have two other groups on their way," Lady Pidgeot explained. "We left first, to get a head start."

"Why not come all together?" Emerald asked, looking amused.

"So I don't have to deal with waking everyone up," Lady Pidgeot replied. She turned her head slightly, narrowing her eyes playfully at Rita.

Emerald and Ruby followed her gaze, staring intently at Rita.

Rita moved her paw in a 'hello' motion. The two smiled, and looked back at Lady Pidgeot. Emerald spotted Pidgey sitting on Lady Pidgeot's head.

"You're so adorable!" she squealed.

Pidgey's face flushed in embarassment. "Thank you!" he chirped.

"Well," Ruby started. "Come in!"

•

•

The inside of the game was everyone more beautiful than the front. Everyone gasped as they entered. Even Zangoose and Seviper's mounths were hanging open in awe.

The place struck Rita as familiar, just as it had at the entrance.

Chandeliers were hanging down from the huge lit-up ground floor. The lights shone on the goldish floor in such a way it made it look like it was glowing. Two glass elevators were placed on the left and right of the huge golden room. Rita could easily see outside because of the transparent walls, though you couldn't see inside from outside. The ceiling seemed miles away, for Rita could see all the floors, one after another. Hallways spread out from the floors, probably where the teams of The Game's rooms were.

_Why isn't this place more famous than the Rescue Camp? _Rita wondered. _It's way more beautiful._

"This place is so BIG!" Rita heard Plasma cry.

"No duh..." Crobat replied to her outburst.

Plasma turned on him. "I didn't ask for your input!" she snapped.

"Well I gave it to you!" he replied.

"You're stupid!"

"Well, you're ugly!"

"I'm ugly? Look in the mirror!" Plasma retorted.

"I have, and it shrieked in delight! If you looked at it, it would break!"

Rita sighed as the two continued to argue. Usually, it was Moon Plasma was fighting with. She looked at Night and Mightyena, expecting annoyed-looking looks. Surprisingly, they both seemed amused.

Moon had stepped in, trying to break up the two.

Emerald and Ruby were staring at them, looking confused. Emerald whispered something to Ruby, and soon Ruby's eyes lit up a purplish color. Plasma lifted in the air and floated over towards the two. She looked around, probably wondering what was happening. She landed down in front of Emerald and Ruby. Lady Pidgeot was shaking her head.

"Let's all be friends here!" Ruby said cheerfully, obviously addressing everyone.

"Would you mind showing them where they'll be staying?" Lady Pidgeot cut in.

"Of course, Lady Pidgeot!" she replied, still smiling. Her smile then vanished. "While we're giving a tour-thing, Garnet wanted to talk to you."

"You remember where his room is, right?" Emerald asked.

"Of course," Lady Pidgeot replied. "How could I forget?"

The three exchanged smiles.

"Also..." Emerald started, no longer smiling. "Where's Exploud? With another group?"

Lady Pidgeot's happy face disappeared, like Emerald's had. "We..." Her gaze drifted down. "He had an accident."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. "He peed himself?"

"No, he fell off Shard Mountain during a battle..." she replied, her voice shaking.

Rita thought she was about to cry.

"Oh..." Emerald said, looking to the side, obviously trying to figure out what to say. "Well, bad things always happen - you can't stop that. Everyone will die someday - that's unstoppable also!" She seemed confident in her words now. "But... we only get one life, so don't spend any moment being upset. Live it to the fullest, while you still can!" She finally finished, smiling at Lady Pidgeot.

Lady Pidgeot looked down at the white Togetic. She finally smiled. "Thanks," she said. She seemed better now.

Rita didn't know why, but what Emerald had said made her feel better also. _It's nice to hear inspirational things every now and then, _she thought.

Lady Pidgeot had hopped over to the glass elevator on the right.

"Well, hiya, teams!" Ruby said, addressing everyone. "My name's Ruby, and this is Emerald, if you haven't already heard!"

"We help run The Game; it's nice to meet you all!" Emerald said happily. "I plan to learn everyone's names later, but for now, let's show you around!"

•

Ruby and Emerald were good guides, despite being a bit strange.

_Different personalities help make the world more interesting, anyway! _Rita thought happily. She felt right at home in this place.

Ruby and Emerald showed them around the first few floors of The Game. The cafeteria, Rita thought, was most enchanting. As soon as they entered awesome smells of amazing foods hit Rita's nose. She could make out what the foods were by their smells; syrup, waffles, corn bread, Italian bread, spaghetti tacos, vegestable lasagna, pizza, french fries, and a lot more. Rita had figured out quite quickly that in the Pokemon world, they didn't eat meat. It would be considered canibalism, since everyone was a Pokemon and meat came from Pokemon. Even though it would be considered wrong since Rita was now a Pokemon, her tastebuds longed for the sweet, greasy, crunchy taste of bacon in her mouth. Oh, how she missed meat, but she would have to deal.

The Espeon and Togetic were now gathering everyone into one of the glass elevators. As everyone climbed in, the doors closed. Rita thought it was amazing how you could see out the glass. She jumped as a voice from overhead spoke from a speaker. It was Emerald's voice.

"Which floor would you like to go to?" her voice asked.

"Thirty!" Ruby answered clearly.

"Any stops after thirty?" Emerald's voice asked again.

"No," Ruby answered.

"M'kay!" the voice replied playfully. The elevator shot up, and in less than five seconds, the elevator dinged, and the glass doors slid open.

Rita watched as Plasma rushed over towards the ledge. She perched on it, looking down at all the floors in awe. "WOW it's a long way down!" she called.

"You're gonna fall!" Crobat growled, pushing his way out of the glass elevator.

Plasma looked over her shoulder. "What's it to _you_?" she asked. "Heh, if I fall..." she stepped backwards towards the edge. At the same time she fell backwards, disappearing behind the ledge.

_Plasma!_

Rita, Smoke, and several other Pokemon rushed over towards the ledge.

"M-Miss!" Emerald cried and rushed over with them.

Suprisingly, Moon didn't seemed worried.

As Rita peered over the edge in panic, she spotted Plasma's black cape-like wings, or whatever they were, flying in circles in the air around what Rita guessed was the 20th floor. She looked up, smirking.

"Idiots!" she called. "I'm a flying type, too, remember?" She laughed evily.

Rita heard Crobat snort. "What a failure," he growled, flying back away from the ledge.

Rita did feel like an idiot, forgetting that Plasma was an Emolga - a part flying and part electric type Pokemon. She PokeGirl22 sighed in relief and backed away from the ledge with everyone else.

Moon was grinning, finding it funny that Plasma had tricked them.

Emerald was still at the ledge, looking down at Plasma. "Uhhh... miss!" she called. "That looks like fun and all but we need to finish off our tour! Come back up, kay?"

Plasma soon appeared back on the ledge next to Emerald.

"Alright," Ruby started. "This is the floor you will all be staying on!"

"But there's more coming," Rita heard Dragonite point out. "There surely isn't enough rooms for every team."

"That's why Rubyyyyy and I will choose teams to be room mates!" Emerald said cheerfully, hopping down from the ledge. "Well... when everyone gets here," she finished.

"That concludes our tour-or!" Ruby cheered, and made her way towards the elevator. "Feel free to look around the home floor, and outside. It's quite big, and there's a pool! So enjoy yourselves!" With that Ruby and Emerald both climbed in the glass elevator. It went down.

Rita looked around awkwardly. She still felt like she knew this place. _Maybe Jet and Vicky will feel this way, too, when they get here... _She looked at Rici, who was standing quietly at the back of the group. _Maybe he feels this way, too... _Rita padded over to him, Smoke following her.

Rici looked up at them. "Hey."

"Hey," Rita started. "I wanna ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Does this place seem familiar to you somehow? Like you've been here before?" she asked.

"You know this place?" Smoke asked.

"No... I mean, it feels like I do, butI don't," Rita answered.

Rici looked around. "Not familiar at all, just confusing."

"Really?" Maybe it was just her. But _why _would it feel familiar? "Alright..."

"Maybe you're just imagining things," Smoke pointed out.

_There's no way I'm imagining this... _"Yeah, probably," Rita answered, smiling. _I _know _this place somehow..._

•

Rita, Smoke, Plasma, and Moon had now joined back up with Jet,D ew, and Vapor, who had been in Team Lightning Bolt's group. The only group that had yet to arrive was Rae's group. Rita worried about Victoria and Flower, who were stuck in that group with Rae as their guide. Rae had been trying to get rid of them, and she worried he might try something on them.

Rita wanted to know if Jet also felt familarity about The Game. She also wanted to know if the silver Floatzel was still mad at her.

She caught him alone, for everyone else had gone outside. Both her and Jet had refused to go. Dew teased them a bit about it, before following everyone else outside.  
She padded over to where he was sitting on a green couch, watching some Pokemon through the windows battle.  
"Can I ask you something?" Rita aked.  
He jumped and his head whipped around. "Yeah, what?" he asked.  
"Does this place seem familiar to you?" she asked him.  
"Familiar how?"  
"Like you know it, or something."  
He looked around, taking in the home floor. It took him a while to answer. "No..." he finally said. "Why?"  
"It feels like I know this place somehow..." Rita answered.  
"You couldn't, you've never been here before," Jet explained. He paused. "Have you?"  
"No," Rita said. "Not that I know of..."  
"This place is so _huge. _I'd prefer it to the Rescue Camp anyday." He looked up at her. "Maybe you're feeling that way because you feel the same way."  
Rita nodded. Maybe it was that. "And there was something else I wanted to ask you," she said, remembering the arguement.  
"Yeeeeesssss?"  
"Are you still mad at me?" she asked.  
He paused. "No... I was never mad at you..." he finally said.  
"Then why did you seem mad?" Rita asked.  
A light red flushed across his face. "I just worry about you... alot."  
"Why?" Rita asked him. "I'm not a two-year old." _He has no right to treat me like a small kid!_  
The red on his face darkened. "W-Well... ya know. Friends.. worry about each other!" he stuttered. "And, eh, we're friends."  
"Smoke is my _partner, _and he doesn't go and get all over protective," Rita pointed out. "And you don't get over protective around Dew or Vapor. Just me."  
"It's just the way I am..." he said, pulling his face away from her's. He got up. "I'm going outside and look for a battle or something." He started towards the glass sliding doors, walking swiftly.

"Lilac!"

Rita turned around, wanting to know who was being called. Jet turned too, probably also wanting to get to know the Pokemon of The Game. Rita was surprised to find a tall Weavile staring straight at her.

He slowly walked closer to Rita, staring at her like she was a lost item or something. "Lilac...?" he asked. He them smiled widely. "You're alive!"

Rita looked behind her, wondering if this "Lilac" person waas behind her. She spotted no one, and threw a questioning look at Jet. He shrugged, also seeming confused.

Rita felt the Weavile throw his arms around her neck. "I thought you were dead! Where have you been?! I've been waiting for so long!"

Rita felt awkward. She was obviously not this "Lilac" he was talking about. "Uh..." She pulled away slowly. "Who?" Jet was now beside her.

The Weavile looked confused. "Lilac?" he asked again. "It's me, Ten! Don't you remember? Your partner!"

_Partner? _"My name's Rita, and my partner's name is Smoke," she said formerly.

"Smoke? I'm your partner! You're part of the team we formed, Team Impulse!"

"No, I'm part of Team Meteor..." Rita answered. Who was Lilac?

"You probably have her confused with someone else," Jet said from beside her.

Ten looked confused now. "She's Lilac... I'm sure of it."

"No, she's not," Jet snapped. "Her name is Rita, not Lilac. You are obviously confused."

"Are _you _this Smoke person? Are you trying to take my partner?" Ten asked suspiciously.

"What? No, I'm not Smoke. We're both from the Rescue Camp, not around here. So Rita can't be Lilac."

Ten looked at Rita. Something about his dark, green eyes struck her as familiar. His voice... she knew it from somewhere... Or maybe it wasn't _her _who thought this all familiar.

"Running off on me?" Ten asked, looking hurt. "After that trip to those cliffs, I'd thought I'd lost you forever..."

"My name is Rita... Ten. I have no idea what your talking about," Rita told him. "Who is Lilac?"

"_You _are Lilac! I mean..." He stared at her. "You look exactly like her." He reached down and grabbed her paw, flipping it over. He stared at it intently, before pointing at a small mark Rita had never noticed before. It was in a heart shape, resting comfortably on the pad of her paw. "See? Lilac had that same mark!"

Rita was confused. She was obviously not Lilac- she was Rita. She had always been Rita, until...

"Maybe Lilac's body is the body I'm in..." Rita said out loud, gasping.

"What?" Ten asked. "That makes no sense," he growled.

Rita looked him straight in the eye. "I'm sorry... Ten? Lilac is dead..."

"What are you talking about?! You are Lilac!"

"Her spirit is gone," Jet said, stepping in.

"You people are crazy," Ten hissed.

"No, I'm using Lilac's body-" Rita was cut off at Ten's growl.

"You're a traitor!" Ten yelled, loud enough that some Pokemon turned around.

"If you would _listen!_" Jet yelled back. "Your Lilac friend is dead. This is just her body." He turned to Rita. "That's probably why you find this place so familiar," he said.

"Of course she does!" Ten said, agitated. "That's Lilac... posing as this Rita girl. Did you lose your memory or something, being knocked out by that boulder?"

"What exactly happened to Lilac?" Rita asked.

"A huge boulder came... and crushed her. She pushed me out of the way just in time..." He looked back at Rita, narrowing his eyes. "You're just a traitor! Go crying to the Rescue Camp, forget about me."

"You don't understand!" Rita yelled. How could he just randomly come over, accusing her of being some other Pokemon? What a joke!

"I understand it all. You regained consciousness, and left us..."

"Look, Ten," Jet said, closing in on him. "She is not Lilac, and she never was. Rita is a human, who's spirit was sent into Lilac's body. Lilac's spirit is gone!"

"A _human_?" Ten asked mockingly. "What a poor excuse!" He turned on Rita, eyes flaring with anger. "But nothing changes the fact that you're still my partner, so you're still required to go on missions with me." He smirked.

"I have a partner!" Rita snapped. "And I have a team!"

"If you're in Lilac's body, you're Lilac. I don't care if you've discovered a new partner; you are still _my _partner! Do you know how much I've missed you?!" His eyes were tearing up now. "And I finally see you, and you deny knowing me." He growled.

"But I _don't _know you!" Rita hissed angrily, though not all that was the truth. She did recognize him.

"Are you entering the tournament?" Ten asked, suddenly changing the subject.

"What? I-I don't know. It's only for The Game teams, right?" she asked.

"Nope, if you stay here, you are permitted to enter." He smirked. "You should enter."

"Why?" Rita asked.

"So I can rip you apart," he growled, still smirking. His smirk disappeared as Jet's fist landed in his face.

Ten looked up at him, holding his nose where he had been hit. "What was that for?! Stupid weasel!"

"Did it hurt that bad?" Jet asked, smiling. "I wonder how much it would hurt if I ripped off your head!"

Ten growled, and lunged at Jet with his claws.

Jet easily dodged, and spun around, whipping Ten with his twin tails. Rita couldn't recognize the move.

A crowd was now forming around the quarrel. Rita heard some Pokemon cheering Ten on, others shouting "Fight!"

The whole scene reminded Rita of a fight at school she had seen before, when she was little. Suddenly, her vision went black.

She was watching something.

With what?

She saw humans... other humans.

She was seeing out of her human eyes.

At the moment she was a human.

There was a crowd - she was in it. Students surrounded two boys who were arguing with each other. They were fighting about something...

It was her?

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd of students kept chanting.

A slightly taller boy with short brownish hair was yelling at the other boy. He had shoulder length black hair, and he was smiling, nodding at everything the other boy said. They seemed to be about six or seven years old. Why were seven yearold's fighting?

But he looked familiar, the black haired-boy. His name... what was his name?

The brown-haired boy said something else. It seemed threatening.

"I'll be able to rip you to shreds!" he snarled.

It was directed at... her? Before Rita had a chance to reply, the black-haired boy threw a punch straight in the other boy's face.

"What was that for?!" he spat, holding his nose where he had been punched. "Stupid jacka*s!"

"Did it hurt that bad?" the black-haired boy asked, smiling. His voice was high, being a seven-year old. "I wonder how much it would hurt if I ripped off your head!"

Jetson. That was his name. And the other boy...?

The brown-haired boy gritted his teeth, and lunged at Jetson. Jetson easily dodged, and came back around, hitting the brown-haired boy with his heel.

The brown-haired boy bent over, holding his side where Jetson kicked him. He quickly recovered, and then threw a front punch, followed by a hook punch.

Jetson blocked them with both of his arms, but he wasn't prepared as the brown-haired boy's right leg kicked up and hit his jaw.

A scream escaped Rita's mouth as blood dripped from Jetson's mouth.

The brown-haired boy's name... Rita strained to remember it. His name...

_Ten!_

Rita gasped. Was Ten the Weavile a human too?! She looked back at the fight, realizing that Jetson wasn't winning. She looked around wildly, wanting to escape the horrible memory. She was flung down as the crowd drew nearer to the fight. She was being trampled, when a hand reached down and grabbed the collar of her plaid shirt. The hand pulled her out of the crowd. She looked up at her savior, tears in her eyes. Rita instantly felt like the age she was in the memory as she saw the face of her mother; a small, soft-looking nose, ocean blue eyes, beautiful... her long... red hair...

Enchanting.

Rita was barely able to form the word "Mom" with her smiling lips when the memory vanished. She was now back at The Game's ground floor, and instead of her mom's face staring down at her...

It was Lady Pidgeot's.

•

•

Being woken up early had never been Vicky's thing, but she really didn't care about anything these days since they lost Chance at Shard Mountain.

"Wake up, ugly thing!"

Victoria opened her eyes to see Rae poking at her. Honestly, she thought her would kill her in her sleep or something.

"I thought you would have murdered me by now," Victoria said dully.

"Well, I thought about it - long and hard!" Rae said cheerfully. "But then Miss Pidgeot would wonder what happened, and I'm not in the mood for making up stories." He looked down at her. "What, do you want to die or something?"

"I don't care," Victoria replied. She really didn't.

"Well, that's no fun," Rae huffed, pouting. "I'll kill you when you're enjoying life a little bit more, kay?"

_Enjoying life. What a waste. We're all gonna die anyway._

"Stop threatening her!" Flower growled from behind Rae.

"What?" Rae asked, acting stunned. "I would never..."

"You're a creep," Flower sighed.

"A creep? How hurtful," Rae gasped sarcastically. "What species are you, anyway?" he asked, putting his finger on his cheek and looking at the sky in a thinking motion. A grin crossed his face. "Snorlax?" he asked, letting out a laugh.

"Munna," Flower repliedirritably. "Shouldn't you be leading us to The Game, anyway? Instead of insulting us?"

"The Game..." Rae crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side. "What a strange place... with three strange leaders." He looked up at the sky again.

_Why does everyone look at the sky? _Victoria asked herself. She looked up. The sky was an ocean-like color, the clouds swimming gently through it. _Is that what draws people?_

"I don't think I wanna go back there," Rae decided. He dropped his gaze back to Flower, uncrossing his arms. "Nope! We'll go someplace else!"

"What?" Flower asked. "You have orders from Lady Pidgeot to go to The Game!"

"Nah, I'll ignore those," Rae said, smiling.

"You can't just not go."

Victoria turned around to see Absol, a member of Team Shadow Cloud, stepping forward.

"You are joking, right?" he asked.

Rae looked surprised, as if he'd forgotten that he had other teams with him. "Yeah, of course!" he replied, smiling.

"Good," Absol replied, something flashing through his eyes.

_Was that... suspicion? _Victoria wondered. _Are Pokemon starting to distrust Rae now? _The thought made her grin. He was losing followers.

"Well, we'd best be going now!" Rae announced, motioning with his arm to move. He seemed a bit uneasy.

Victoria felt doubt in following the large Raichu, but she really had no choice. She either followed or got left behind. Following won over as she quickened her pace to join up with the others. Unexpectedly, Flower had floated to her side. Her eyes were filled with worry.

"Are you okay?" she asked, poking Victoria slightly.

"Just fine," Victoria replied blankly.

Flower went on. "You used to be so full of energy... now you're just..." She glanced around, at loss for words. Her gaze finally shifted towards the sky.

_There it is again, _Victoria pointed out to herself. _Is the sky filled with things to say?_

"You've been... depressed," Flower finished.

Depressed. That didn't begin to describe the way she was feeling. She felt like a zero; death could come any second.

When she didn't reply, Flower went on.

"I know it's because of Chance," she said gently. "But... trust me, Chance wouldn't want that! She'd want you to continue enjoying yourself after her death! Not acting like some emotionless robot!"

As if Flower was waiting for a response, she stopped talking. Hmph. Why not give her a response?

Victoria let her previous thoughts evolve into words: "If we're going to die anyway, whats the point? We could die right now; nobody can change their destiny."

"What's someone's destiny, then, Victoria?" Flower asked, using Vicky's proper name.

"Death," Victoria replied, and with a slight flick of her tail, she moved towards the front of the group.

Flower could talk about being happy all she wanted; it wouldn't change the fact that they were all gonna die eventually.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Under Pressure

The rain felt like needles as it fell atop Rae's head. It was taking longer than expected to arrive at The Game. He needed to get there quickly, or else Absol, a member of Team Shadow Cloud, would become even more suspicious. Rae gritted his teeth. He could _not _afford for _any _other members from the Rescue Camp to start losing faith in him. They were the key players in getting rid of Rita and the other humans. The members of the Rescue Camp well respected him, for he was a graduated member, and had recently achieved master rank all on his own. Keeping their positive attitudes towards him had been nothing but tough recently.  
And it was just his luck to have to guide Team Luck to The Game.  
He had to be more careful with his words- earlier he had completely forgotten that other teams were with him as he spoke to Victoria and Flower. Absol seemed to be the first Pokemon that was starting to lose trust in him. If he was losing trust, what's stopping the others?  
A sudden hunger halted him from his thoughts. If he was hungry, then clearly the others must be hungry too. Maybe stopping for food would give him a chance to win Absol back over.  
He stopped walking, and soon the other teams halted as well. The sky was a mucky gray, clouds hiding the sun.  
_Just how I like it, _Rae thought, a grin creeping across his lips. _The sun is aggravating._  
"Why are we stopping?" Absol was staring intently at Rae, his whole aura giving off suspicion. "It's raining, so we should keep moving."  
"We're stopping for a little food break!" Rae announced, smiling fakely. "All of you must be hungry! There are probably some berries around here somewhere, so lets look!" As the teams broke off into the nearby forest, Rae's fake smile faded.  
_How long will I have to keep up this fake "happy-go-lucky" act? _Rae wondered. _Mightyena needs to find out how to get to Arceus... Reshiram and Zekrom will need finding too... _"Ugh!" Rae growled, holding his head with his paws. He couldn't wait to finally destroy the humans- every last one of them. Humans are disgusting- no respect for anything but themselves.  
That was Rae's reason for hating humans, Mightyena's had been a sad, tragic one- one that had only confirmed Rae's beliefs that humans were disgusting, nasty creatures.  
_If both worlds are to be destroyed- so be it. Arceus can just create a new, better one._  
"What's going on through _your _head?" Rae turned his head to see Absol and his team- Haunter and Howl, a Houndoom- standing just a meter away. Haunter was using physic to hold the berries.  
Rae put on his fake smile again. "Nothing!" he chirped cheerfully. He put on the best innocent, seductive smile he could. "It's nice to know you all care, though."  
"Well," Absol started, pulling a berry from the physic it was being held in, "you just looked like you were hating the world for a second, that's all. But it's nice to know that you don't!" He copied Rae's innocent-looking, seductive smile. His voice lowered. "Unless, of course..." His voice was a whisper now, "you really do."  
Rae wasn't exactly prepared for a straight-forward defiance. Absol was making it obvious that he didn't trust a word Rae said. Though the comment took him by surprise, he knew exactly what to say. "I could never hate the world I live in. If offers too much," he said seriously.  
Yet, once again, Absol had just the right attack. "Maybe a little _too _much for your liking, mister Rae?"  
If Absol really distrusted him, he should know perfectly well that defying him is putting his life on the line. "Honsestly, I never really paid attention to your team," Rae started, his fake smile vanishing. He was almost talking in a whisper. "The three of you were just kinda another team in the camp to me, another one of the innocent teams that I would leave alone." Rae no longer cared about gaining Absol's trust. "Watch your backs," he warned. "You just put you and your team in serious danger."  
"We'll tell them," Howl growled from behind Absol. "All of them."  
"And who says they'll believe you?" Rae asked, a menancing smile returning to his mouth. Team Shadow Cloud had just been added to the "Get rid of" list. He'd tell Mightyena later.  
"Lady Pidgeot will," Haunter said, finally speaking.  
"And I asume that Team Meteor, Team Water Pulse, and Team Luck are already on our side." The way the rain was falling on Absol's face made him look imtimidating.  
"That's four teams, counting you, against the world," Rae said with a smirk. "There's no way you can win. You don't even know what our plan is!" He let out a laugh, though inside he was feeling uneasy. There _wasn't_ a way they could stop him, right?  
"We'll find out," Absol threatened.  
"And I'll kill you before you are able to do anything, not that you could." Rae glared at Absol. Absol's eyes were so full of hate, it almost made Rae flinch.  
"You can't take on four teams at once." Absol's stare dug right into Rae like a nail.  
Rae tried his best not to look away from the icy stare. "You'd be surprised who I have on my side," he snapped, hoping no one else could hear him. With that he turned away, walking into the forest.  
Doubts filled his thoughts. He kept trying to reassure himself.  
_One other team won't hurt us. We have Palkia, Dialga, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, and soon Arcues. Nobody can stop us._

•  
Seeing her mother's face form into Lady Pidgeot's made Rita yelp. The scene was all too familiar. Rita's head was throbbing. Had she been kicked or something? Her vison was blurred, but judging from the yells and chants, she could tell that Jet and Ten were now battling. And for what? Her? Guilt flooded over her. She was tired of everyone fighting for her. If she was gone... she wouldn't have this problem.  
Lady Pidgeot was saying something to her, but she couldn't understand. The screams drowned out her voice, leaving Rita's ears ringing. Rita stared up at Lady Pidgeot. The image of her mother replaced her face. Everything about Lady Pidgeot started to remind Rita of her mother.  
Her soft blue eyes. Her enchanting golden hair. Her beautiful way of speaking. Her concern about everyone.  
There was no way Lady Pidgeot _couldn't _be her and Rici's mother.  
Lady Pidgeot continued to try and talk to Rita. She still couldn't understand her words. How did her mother die, anyway? Rita wished she could remember, but it's not like wishing could get her anywhere. She wished anyway. Wished for a flashback like she previously had, wished she could figure everything out. She turned her attention back to the crowd behind her. Why were they not stopping it? Where were Emerald and Ruby? Why wasn't Lady Pidgeot doing anything, except trying to talk to Rita? What happened to Smoke, Plasma, Moon, and Rici? Were they still outside?  
As if someone answered her questions, all at once the crowd of Pokemon stopped yelling as a blast of orange-like light blasted straight into the crowd. The yells resumed as the huge blast caused everyone to fly backwards, smoke filling the air.  
_Was that hyper beam?! _Rita coughed as she narrowed her eyes, trying to find the source of the blast. As the smoke cleared, Rita saw the firer. It was a huge Reuniclus, and he had a somewhat angry look on his face. His green gel-like arms were stretched out, as it they fired the hyper beam, making them look bigger than they actually were. Inside the green gel-like substance, was a small, pale looking creature. Rita knew the gel was also part of it's body, but it didn't seem like it. As he spoke, Rita jumped.  
"What are you doing?!" he asks. His black bean-like eyes drifted to the center of the room where Jet and Ten were lying. Black cinders stained the carpet, and the couch Jet had previously been sitting on was blown to pieces.  
_Who is that? _Rita wondered. Her question was answered when Pokemon around her that had been hit with the blast quickly got up at the Reuniclus's presense, kneeling as he walked by.  
_That must be Garnet, the leader. _  
Garnet floated towards Jet and Ten, who were both sitting up, gritting their teeth. Ten noticed Garnet drifting towards them. he celnched his teeth together, and his eyes widened, probobly knowing he was in trouble.  
Jet noticed Garnet also, but he kept shooting glares at Ten.  
"You two... are you the cause of this?" Garnet shouted. He turned on Ten. "You should know better than to start fights with other Pokemon!" Garnet scolded, a growl rumbling in his throat.  
Ten shifted his gaze towards the ground. "S-Sorry sir," he stuttered, "but he-"  
"I don't want excuses!" Garnet boomed, cutting off Ten. "We are here as Exploration Teams, not 'fight-anyone-you-want-because-you-don't-like-them' teams!" When Ten didn't reply, Garnet continued. "I want to see you in the Leader's Room A.S.A.P!"  
"Y-Yes sir..." Ten shot to his feet, and scurried towards the glass elevator. The doors closed, and Ten went underground.  
_There's a basement? _Rita wondered.  
Lady Pidgeot was now beside Garnet. "Jet, what are you doing?" she asked. "You're better then that!"  
Jet glanced around, as if looking for someone. He caught Rita's eye, and smiled slightly. He then turned his attention back to Lady Pidgeot. All the other Pokemon were now staring at him. "I...uh..." he looked around, as if trying to figure out what to say. "Blame gravity," he finally said, smiling.  
Rita heard Pokemon around her chuckle, and she played along. Gravity usually was the cause of everything, anyway. Rita looked around the huge floor, wondering where everyone had gone. She spotted just Dew, standing at the far end of the room, with his arms crossed against his chest. _Where's everyone else? _Rita wondered.  
Dew's blue eyes caught Rita's and he gave a huge wave, smiling. Rita gave a slight wave back, wondering why he was all happy. Dew stopped waving, and pointed in the direction where Jet was, before winking with his left eye.  
Rita felt her cheeks burn, knowing what he meant. She gave him a look that said, "Throw yourself off a cliff," and looked away, drawn back to Lady Pidgeot, Garnet, and Jet.  
Lady Pidgeot sighed, and looked at Garnet, who seemed to have drifted off. He jumped as Pidgeot whispered something to him. He tilted his head slightly, and then motioned to Jet to come with him.  
Garnet floated towards the elevator, followed by a scraped up Jet. Before Garnet and Lady Pidgeot entered, he stopped, and turned around. The shimmering chandeliers sparkled on his jelly-like skin. Rita had the sudden urge to poke it.  
"Get back to your duties!" he commanded. "And next time there's a fight, stop it, not cheer it on!" With that the three disappeared into the elevator, underground also.  
The whole scene made Rita's head hurt even more. Where was everyone, anyway? Emerald and Ruby should have been here to stop Ten and Jet. The Pokemon teams seemed to slowly break off, going back to their normal duties. Rita wobbly rose to her feet. She recalled everything that had happened, her thoughts buzzing around in her head like a bee.

_Lady Pidgeot... is she? Is she my mother?_

"Rita!" Rita heard Smoke call. She whipped around to see him rushing over to her, followed by Rici and Moon. "Are you alright?"

Rita guessed that Vapor was with Dew, but where was Plasma?

"What happened?" Moon asked, seeming frightened. She glanced around, gasping. "This place is a mess!"

"We saw Jet get escorted to the elevator," Rici added.

Rita explained to them the fight, but left out the part about Ten thinking she was Lilac. She didn't want Smoke thinking she would betray him.

"You better stay away from this Ten guy, Rita," Smoke warned, "he might be on Rae and Mightyena's side."

"Where is Rae's group, anyway?" Moon cut in.

"They haven't arrived yet," Rici told her. "It might be a while, with the rain." He directed Moon's gaze towards the entrance, where the huge glass windows were covering the wall. Rain was spatteringrhythmically against them.

"Hey! You guys!"Rita looked around Smoke to see Plasma gliding towards them, a small envelope clasped in her paw.

"Where were you?" Moon demanded.

"I signed up for the tournament," Plasma replied, holding out the envelope. Moon plucked it from her paw and opened it.

"Thank you for your participation," Moon read aloud, "the tournament will be held four days from now, you are entry number thirty two." Moon looked up from the envelope, annoyment flashing through her eyes. "Plasma you cant just sign up! The tournament is for Game members only!"

"I asked Emerald earlier, she said we were aloud to enter!" Plasma retorted.

"Well you should have asked me first!" Moon yelled at her.

"Your not my mom!" Plasma shot back.

"Yeah well I'm your partner, and you should consult with your partner before deciding things!"

"I can decide for myself what I wanna do!"

As the two argued, Smoke turned towards Rita. "Should we sign up for that?" he asked her.

Rita thought for a moment, the scene of Ten and Jet gone. Would she be in any danger if she entered the tournament? What if it came down to just her and one of her friends? Still... it would be fun. "Sure!" she agreed, and turned to Rici, but noticed that he was gone. "Where'd Rici go?" she wondered aloud.

"I don't know... but he's been really quiet lately. Like, quieter than usual," Smoke answered.

Rita realized that he was right. Maybe something was bothering her younger brother. "I could talk to him later," she told Smoke.

Smoke nodded. "Well, I'm going to go sign up," he told her, and then fell in beside Rita. "Also, don't wander around alone. Ten might attack you."

The thought of the tall Weavile flew back into her mind.

_Is Ten a human? How many humans are here, and how many aren't on our side?_

•

•

"If you are going to battle, then you do it on the battlefield!" Garnet scolded, "Not inside!" He glared at Jet and Ten. "Do I make myself clear?"

Garnet had been ranting on for what seemed like hours about Ten and Jet's fight. Ten grew tired, but he knew he must not drift off. Garnet was frightening when he was angry.

"Yes sir!" Ten's couldn't meet Garnet's scary gaze.

"Yes," Jet replied, shooting a glare at Ten.

Ten glared back. Why should he be getting in trouble? It was Jet who had attacked him first. And Lilac, who was now called 'Rita', had betrayed him. Ten felt his stomach churn in anger. How could Lilac betray him?! They were partners, and now she was partnered with some Pokemon called 'Smoke'. Clearly what 'Rita' and Jet were saying couldn't be true.

_I'll destroy them. _Ten gritted his teeth. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize that Garnet had dismissed them both.

"Wait," Pidgeot cut in as Ten and Jet got up. "I'd like to speak with Jet."

"Yes Lady Pidgeot," Jet responded.

Ten stood up, wondering what Pidgeot was going to talk to Jet about. He pushed it to the back of his mind andconcentratedon what had happened.

_Lilac... _He sighed, an image of the lively Delcatty flashing through his mind. _Why would you betray me?_

"Hey, you." A voice snapped him from his thoughts. He whipped around. In front of him was a huge Raichu. Ten recognized the Raichu as Rae- a graduated member of Lady Pidgeot's Rescue Camp. He had met Rae only once before, back when he was a Sneasel, just forming his Exploration team with Lilac, who was a Skitty at the time.

"Hello, Rae." Ten had to lift his head to look up at Rae.

Rae gazed down at him with his misty green eyes. "I heard you had some trouble with Jet and Rita," Rae told him, grinning.

Ten growled. "Yes, I have. Rita is actually Lilac, my old partner... but she keeps saying Lilac is dead and she's using her body, but I don't buy it."

Something Ten couldn't point out flashed through Rae's eyes, as the sightly got bigger, then shrank down again. "Well, Ten," Rae started, patting him on the back, "I think i can help you with that."

•

•

Rita stretched out her front legs and yawned loudly. Garnet, Emerald, and Ruby had assigned her and Smoke to be roommates with Team Resurrect. She lifted her head from the soft cotton bed, and glanced over at Shield, Archen, and Omanyte, who were sleeping calmly on the far side of the room. There was a balcony at the back of the room, with a nice view of an ocean that Rita hadn't noticed before. She lifted herself to her paws, and padded towards the balcony. The soft windwhisked around Rita as the reflection of the sun warmed her body. The sun was rising in the distance as the moon slowly disappeared. The Game reminded Rita of a beach hotel. Beside, above, and below her were other rows of balcony's,which Rita guessed led to other rooms. It had been two days since their arrival at The Game, and Rita began to wonder when they would go back to the Rescue Camp, or when it would be repaired. Her shoulder was feeling better, but she was careful not to lean on it too much.

She had been feeling uneasy the past two days, especially when she had spotted Ten hanging around Rae and Mightyena.

She laid down and stretched out on the balcony, feeling the sun's warmth. She had learned in school that being in the sun helped to put you in a better mood. As it shone down on her pelt, she began to feel better already. She dozed off into sleep, feeling her eyelids get heavier until she was in a pitch black room, with only a single flame flickering on the other side of the room. She heard the sound of Lilligant's voice.

Rita slowly padded towards the voice, which was coming from inside the flame. As she neared it, the flame grew, enveloping the darkness that filled the room. Rita let out a squeak as the flame touched her body, but surprisingly, it didn't hurt. It was just a sense of enlightening warmth.

Rita walked further into the center of the flame. As she walked, the image of Lilligant began to appear. Next to her was a Chansey, who's body was transparent. Rita instantly knew who the Chansey was.

"Chance!" she exclaimed, running up to Chance's transparent body, wanting to give her a huge hug. But as she did, she went straight through her, and Rita remembered that she couldn't touch dead Pokemon.

Chance smiled. "How are you, Rita?"

"I'm great! It's so good to see you! How did you-?"

Lilligant cut her off as she spoke. "Chance walks within dreams now." Her tone was gentle as she spoke. "She cannot reach Victoria, however..."

"I think Victoria has lost faith in everything..." Chance sighed. "I need to warn her, but I can't."

"Warn her about what?" Rita asked, confused.  
Chance shook her head. "There is a problem." She looked at Lilligant, than back at Rita. "I need you to tell Vicky that I need to speak with her. She might listen to you."  
"How will telling her make her able to hear you?" Rita flicked her tail questioningly.  
"We need to try."  
Rita hesitated. How would she know for sure that Vicky would listen to her? "Alright," Rita decided. "I'll talk to her."  
Chance's smile enlightened her. "Thank you!" Chance said thankfully. "That's part of the reason I always respected you."  
Lilligant glanced nervously around. "Chance, we have to go soon."  
Chance looked disappointed. "Already?"  
"You know we're being monitored."  
_Being monitored? What? _Rita wondered. "What do you mean you're being monitored?"  
Lilligant's voice lowered to a whisper. "We're not allowed to talk about it, but us guardians have been forbidden to talk to anyone in the physical world."  
"Guardians?" Rita asked.  
"Yes. It's what I am to you, your guardian. Chance is Victoria's guardian." Lilligant spoke quieter. "Something has happened in the spirit world, but Dusknoir won't tell us what."  
"All we know is that communication with the physical world has been cut off," Chance cut in.  
"Since Chance is fairly new to the spirit world, she will be able to speak with someone easier than me, or someone that's been there a while." Lilligant paused, looking at Chance. "We _really _have to go. They'll be getting suspicious."  
"Okay…" Chance looked directly at Rita. "This will probably be the last time I—we- see you for a long time." As she started to fade, she continued. "Be careful, Rita. Something is happening, something big, and I'm pretty sure you guys are caught in the middle of it." Her body was barely visible now. "Keep on your toes."  
"Know your enemies," Lilligant added.  
"And don't trust anyone," they both added together, before completely fading away.

Rita woke with a jolt. Seeing Chance had filled her with happiness, but their warning about the problem in the spirit world had completely freaked her out. Could something so dangerous that it had affected the spirit would _really _be happening?  
Rita was pretty sure she knew her enemies fairly well. She went through a list in her head.  
_1) Mightyena_  
_2) Rae_  
_Is that all? _She wondered. Silently, she went through people she might be suspicious about, but found nobody. An image of Ten popped in her head. _No… he wouldn't intentionally try to hurt me. He thinks I'm his partner, so he's not a threat. _She thought harder. _Maybe Froslass? _She paused. _Nah. _  
"Oi, Rita, good morning!"  
Shield's voice caught her off guard.  
She turned her head around and smiled at him. "Good morning!" she said in the happiest voice she could.  
Shield sat down next to her. "You look deep in thought. Watcha thinkin' 'bout?"  
Rita forced a laugh. "Oh you know…. Life… ha ha."  
"Ha, I hear ya!" He smiled.  
A sudden suspicion crept into Rita's mind as she remembered Chance and Lilligant's warning. It rang in her head. _"Don't trust anyone." _Could Shield be an enemy?  
"Are you enterin' that tournament?" Shield asked suddenly.  
She liked a change of subject. "Yeah, are you?"  
"Err.. yup!" Shield answered. "I hope I don't meet you in battle!"  
Rita chuckled softly. "I hope I don't meet you either. I don't wanna get beat up."  
Shield laughed. "_Me _beat up _you_? That wouldn't happen in a million years!"  
"You don't know that!" Rita responded.  
"SHUT UP!" Rita heard Smoke shout. He had his head buried in the cotton, covering his ears. "I'm TIRED."  
Rita looked at Shield, who was smiling widely, creeping his way across to Smoke's cotton bed. He then let out a blood curdling screech and rammed himself into Smoke.  
Rita burst into laughter. She heard Omanyte and Archen start to laugh too.  
Chance and Lilligant's warning dug into her eardrums again. _There's no way Shield could be my enemy, right? _She tried to reassure herself. _I'm sure I know my enemies. There's nothing to worry about._

Rita was more than delighted to see The Game's lunch menu for the day. Most of the stuff she didn't even think they had in the Pokémon world.  
_Where does the bacon come from? _She wondered. She wrinkled her face in disgust when she spotted a Tepig grab a slice. _Is The Game promoting cannibalism?_  
Rita selected macaroni and mashed potatoes before sitting down next to Smoke at a table they had claimed the day before. She glanced around, looking for Victoria. She still had yet to warn her, and tell her that Chance is looking for her. Looking around the mess hall, she saw that Vicky was nowhere to be seen.  
She looked at Smoke- who was still angry with her and Shield for waking him- gobbling up his meal like it was the last source of food on the planet. _Should I tell him? _Rita wondered. The warning rang in her head again. _But he's my partner… _She lifted her head as Rici approached the table and sat down. She smiled as the thought came to her head. _I can tell Rici! He's my brother, and he's a human, so I can undoubtedly trust him!_  
Rici lifted his head and questioningly looked at Rita, raising one eyebrow.  
"I'll tell you later," Rita mouthed to him.  
Rita jolted back as a slice of bacon was jammed in her face.  
"Do you have any idea what this... substance is?!" Plasma shouted at her, wiggling the bacon around in front of her face.  
Rita pushed the bacon away. "It's bacon," she answered.  
Plasma set her tray down at the table before sitting down. "What's it made out of?" she asked, picking it up and examining it.  
"You," Rita answered, smiling to herself.

"Gross!" Plasma cried, flinging the bacon across the room.  
"Where's Moon?" Rici asked.  
"Only Arceus knows," Plasma replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh, and guess what."  
"What?" Rita asked, looking up at Plasma.  
"The maximum number of entries for The Game's Battle Tournament has been reached, so the tournament's being held tonight," she explained.  
"Tonight?" Smoke asked in a confused fashion. "It's supposed to be held two days from now."  
"Yes, but that was a predicted date set for when the maximum number would be reached," Plasma explained. "There's gonna be an announcement soon."  
"How do you know this?" Rici asked.  
"I was taking with Dio," Plasma replied with a 'what-are-you-stupid' expression on her face. "He's friends with Emerald. Emerald told him then he told me and now I'm telling you guys!"  
"Who Dewo?" Smoke asked, his mouth full.  
Plasma smiled brightly. "Another Emolga. He's so nice and smart, and awesome!"  
Rici questioningly lifted on eyebrow. "So what?"  
"His awesome level matches mine perfectly! It's a perfect match!" Plasma cooed.  
_I bet he's as weird as she is. _Rita thought to herself, giggling.  
Plasma turned on her. "What's so funny?"  
"Nothing, nothing." Rita pushed her tray towards Plasma's. "Want it? I'm not hungry."  
Plasma's eyes sparkled. "Of course!" She started eating the berries and potatoes like a horse. She looked up from her tray. "Have you see him?"  
"Seen who?"  
"Dio!"  
"No," Rita answered.  
"I didn't think there were any other Emolgas here," Smoke said.  
Plasma shrugged. "Neither did I."  
"Hey," Rita started, cutting her off. "Have you seen Vicky?"  
"Not today," Plasma replied.  
Rita stood up. "I'm gonna go find her."  
"I'll come with you," Smoke said, standing up also.  
"No," Rita snapped, feeling instantly guilty at her rudeness. "I mean... it's just between her and me."  
"We'll," Smoke started. "It should be between me too."  
Rita's ears flicked back. "Why?"  
"Because I'm your partner, duh!" Smoke replied. "We're not supposed to keep anything hidden from each other!"  
"I don't need to tell you _everything_!" Rita retorted.  
"Being my partner means you do! If we have secrets we can't be a proper team!" Smoke shouted.  
"I'm sure there's plenty of things _you _don't tell me!" Rita yelled back.  
"Name one thing!"  
"You won't tell me why you won't go to Light Town! Oh, and when I first met you, you lied about your name!"  
Smoke was quiet. "That's different! This is-"  
"Calm down, Smokey," Jet said, appearing behind him with Vapor and Dew and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Not everything needs to be told."  
Smoke growled, and whipped around at him. "You're only agreeing with her 'cause you're one of her human friends! You're all exchanging things that I don't know about behind my back!" He turned back around at Rita, who was surprised at his rage. "You're leaving all of us out of it!" he shouted, gesturing at himself, Plasma, Dew, and Vapor. "We're part of this too!"  
Rita suddenly felt guilty. "Smoke, I know you are-"  
"I don't wanna hear it!" he growled. He whipped around, starting towards the door by their table. He paused as he pushed it open, still not turning around. "You humans are so complicated."  
Rita started after him, but was stopped by a grip on her shoulder.  
"Don't," Jet told her. "He needs to cool down."  
Rici picked up his glass of water, staring at the wall in front of him with an emotionless gaze. "He's the one being complicated," he said, taking a sip of his water.  
"Maybe I could talk to him?" Plasma asked. "I'm sure he'd be less likely to lash out at another Pokemon."  
"You're not very good at talking," Vapor pointed out.  
"Well she gets enough practice," Rita said, grinning.  
Jet took his hand off her shoulder. "Wait till he chills out first." He looked down at Rita. "Go find Vicky and tell her whatever you need to tell her."  
"How do you know I need to talk to Vicky?" Rita asked suspicously.  
"Jet's a stalker," Dew whispered loudly.  
"We heard you talking," Jet replied, ignoring Dew's comment.  
Rita half grinned. "Aight, see ya." She exited the mess hall. A sudden thought occured to her. _Do Jet and Rici have guardians too? _  
She entered the elevator, pressing the '34' button.  
_There's no way Jet heard us talking about Vicky from across the cafeteria. Did he know because he has a guardian? Does he know something's wrong with the spirit world? _  
The elevator door opened.  
_Is it only humans that have guardians? Does Smoke have one? Do- _Her thoughts were cut off s she spotted Flower banging on her and Vicky's room door.  
"Vicky! Vicky open up! Please!" Flower pleaded.  
Rita heard a deiant 'NO!' come from the other side of the door. She ran up to Flower. "Is Vicky in there?" she asked.  
"Yes!" Flower replied frantically. "I can't get her out! I'm worried she's gonna try something!"  
"Don't worry," Rita reassured her, then turned to the door. "Vicky! It's Rita! I need to talk to you about something important!"  
"Go away!" Rita heard Vicky shout. "I'm busy!"  
"Vicky GET. OUT!" Rita screamed at the door, gripping the handle and shaking in fiercly.  
"No!" This time her 'no' was more distant. Rita heard something slide.  
"What are you doing, Vicky?" Flower called.  
Rita shoved Flower backwards. "Watch out." She took a step back, and unleashed a powerful blizzard at the door. The door's hinges broke, and it collasped. Smoke filled the air, causing Rita to cough a bit.  
"We're coming in!" Rita called.  
Flower rushed in.  
Rita heard her gasp.  
"No, Vicky, don't!" Flower screeched.  
Rita ran into the room, just in time to see Vicky hurl herself out the window.


	19. Chapter 18: The Battle Tournament

Her heart had skipped a beat. Or two. But she didn't know. All she knew is that she witnessed her best friend throw herself out a window. She had started screaming Vicky's name, and now she was lying on a soft, cotton bed in what looked like an infirmary.

_I must have passed out._

Pokemon rushed around her, going every which way. Most of them were either Audinos or Chanseys.

_Chansey... _Rita thought. _Chance was a Chansey... Chance died and Victoria got depressed... Victoria tried to commit suicide..._

Rita tried to get a better view of everything.

_Did she succeed?_

Rita sat up.

"Oh, you're awake."

Rita looked over at Vapor.

Vapor smiled. "How are you?"

Rita shook her head. "I'm not sure."

Vapor reassuringly touched Rita's shoulder with her tail. "I don't blame you."

"How's Flower?" Rita asked, trying to avoid the question she wanted to ask, afraid of the answer.

"Very, very shooken up. She'll be fine."

"Where's Jet and Dew?"

"Dew's with Flower. They won't let Jet in."

"Why not?"

"They said that they'd rather have someone of your gender stay with you."

She didn't know why, but Rita was somewhat happy about that. She would have liked to talk with Jet, but something about Vapor was really soothing. And if shewas going to cry, she didn't want to do it in front of Jet.

There was an eerie silence.

Rita gulped, knowing she would have to ask the question sooner or later.

"H-How's Vicky?" she managed to say, tears staring to flood her eyes.

Vapor was quiet for what seemed like hours, before shaking her head.

Rita knew what it meant. She tried to control them, but he tears kept streaming down her face. She felt Vapor's paws coil around her.

"I know," Vapor soothed. "It's not fair." She stroked the top of Rita's head with her paw.

"Where's... Smoke?" Rita asked between tears.

"After is episode in the mess hall we wer unable to find him. Lady Pidgeot, Garnet, and a search party are looking for him now," Vapor explained."He's not gonna be too happy when he gets back, though."

"No... he's not..."

•

•

Rae emotionlessly gazed at Victoria's motionless body. Her small red body was matted with blood and bruises. He sighed.

"You know, Vicky, if you had just listened to me before, we could have been friends, or at least acquaintances." He poked her limp body with his tail, the drew it back in fear of her body springng to life and attacking him. He then realized his stupidity, and shook his head. "I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me. I should have killed you before you killed yourself."

He shuffled through his bag, pulling out a pack of matches.

"You like fire, right?" he asked. "You're a fire Pokemon."

He opened the pack.

"Reincarnation?" he asked, shutting his eyes. "I believe in it."

He struck the match against the pack, and set it on top of Victoria. Instantly, her pelt burst into flames.

"We'll meet again." He backed out of the room, watching in amazement as the fire danced along Victoria's body.

_Farewell. _he thought silently, dropping the matches and scurrying away.

•

•

"Welcome, everyone!" Garnett said from the TV screen Rita was watching. She was in a room with the other tournament competitors.

_Wow, there's a lot..._ Rita thought, trying to block out Victoria's face. It kept popping into her head. She heard that someone had set fire to her body. She had immediatley thought it was Flower, wanting te pain to burn. Rita had asked Flower, but she had denied it. It made Rita wonder who it was.

"Smoke's still not here yet," Moon told her. "He's gonna be disqualified."

"You mean they didn't find him?" Dew asked from next to Flower. "Little coward."  
"Coward indeed."  
Rita flicked her ears in annoyance at Mightyena's sneer.  
"What do you want?" she growled, not facing him.  
"I just came to offer my condolences for you... and your coward friend," Mightyena said innocently.  
"Victoria wasn't a coward," Flower whined.  
"Suicide is cowardice in my book," Mightyena sneered.  
Rita whipped around. "You know what I think?"  
Mightyena flinched for a moment, before gathering back his senses."No one cares what you think."  
"I think you're a coward! You have nothing better to do than insult people who aren't even here to defend themselves!" Rita shouted at him. "_That's _cowardice Mightyena."  
"You mad?" Mightyena smirked.  
"Kind of!"  
"Well, don't use it up on me," he said, poiting with his tail at the TV screen. On the screen was Ten battling Seviper. The very top of the screen said 'Round One'.  
"We must have missed the announcements," Night said. She looked at Mightyena. "You were too busy fighting."  
"Dang, Seviper's getting whooped!" Crobat called. "Ten's freaking strong! PokeGirl22."  
Rita watched in amazement as Ten finished off Seviper with a razor wind, which looked like it almost ripped out Seviper's throat.  
Rita jumped when she felt Plasma poke her. "Yes?"  
"Have you seen Dio?" Plasma asked her.  
Rita sighed. "Plasma, for the fifty eighth time, I HAVE NOT SEEN DIO."  
"You'v been keeping count?" Plasma asked.  
"What's a Dio?" Crobat asked.  
Plasma whipped around at him. "It's not 'What's a Dio' it's 'Who's Dio'! Fix your grammar!"  
"Whatever." Crobat rolled his eyes. "Who's Dio?"  
"Plasma's new boyfriend," Rita said, still watching the TV. It was now showing a battle between two Game members; a Whismur called Echo and a Herdier called Sapphire. Sapphire was winning.  
"Not yet!" Plasma corrected her.  
"Boyfriend?" Crobat asked. "It's extremely hard to believe _you _could get one, rodent."  
"He's another Emolga, and he's great, so shut up," Plasma retorted.  
"There aren't any other Emolga's here," Crobat told her.  
"Yeah there are. I saw him!"  
"You must be really stupid. And he must be _extremely _stupid if he likes _you._"  
"'You're the one that's-"  
"Calm yourself, Plasma," Night cut in. "He's just jealous."  
Crobat's eyes widened. "What?! I-I am not! I-" He hesitated. "I'm gonna go get something to eat." He hurriedly left the room full of Pokemon.  
Rita turned back to the TV. It showed Sapphire finishing off Echo with a take-down attack.  
The screen flashed, and Garnett was shown speaking again. "The winner is Sapphire the Herdier!" A picture of Sapphire took over the screen. "Sapphire will be moving on to round two!" Garnett was shown again. "Next up... we have Plasma the Emolga V.S Rooge the Roggenrolla!" A picture of Plasma and what was probably Rooge appearedon the screen, a big "**V.S**" sign between their pictures.  
"Hey, Plasma," Moon said, poking Plasma's back, who was talking with Vapor. "You're up."  
Plasma looked at the screen. "Well, looks like I'm up!"  
"Be careful," Moon warned. "Rooge is a Roggenrolla, a rock type Pokemon. He'll probabl use super effective moves against you."  
"Don't worry!" Plasma said. "Remember? It's reversed because of the whole space thingy! It'll be over in a flash!"  
Rita watched as Plasma left the room, and turned back to the screen. An image of Vicky popped into her head again. She tried to get rid of it, but this time it stayed, and Rita's head started to ache. She looked around and spotted Jet rubbing his head. Was the same thing happening to him? Ria wondered where Rici was, since he wasn't competing. Her head ached more, and she felt like she was falling. She felt her body hit the ground. She strained to see, but all she could see was darkness.

•  
Plasma gazed in awe at the huge crowd. There were lines and lines of Pokemon cheering. She smiled and waved, blowing kisses and smiles and nuclear bombs every which way. She hoped everyone was watching.  
Her attention was captured as a small, rock-shaped thing with feet stepped into the arena. She met it's one-eye gaze.  
_What a weird looking Pokemon... _she thought.  
"The battle between Rooge and Plasma will now commence!" Garnett calle from his pedestall. "Begin!"  
In an instant, Plasma gathered electricity between her paws. She released it, and watched in joy as it hit Rooge. _Hehehehe._  
Rooge fell backwards, his little rock feet flailing in the air.  
"And Plasma starts us off with a powerful electro ball! It usually shouldn't damage a Roggenrolla like Rooge, but it did!" Garett narrarated.  
Rooge hopped up, shaking it's head.  
"What, can't take a little electro ball?" Plasma taunted.  
Rooge instantly fired a rock blast at her, but she easiy flew up and dodged it.  
_This is too easy... One more move should finish it off._  
Plasma flew into the air, then hurled herself straight at Rooge again and again, slashing and hitting him.  
Rooge's feet eventually gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.  
"And the winner is Plasma!" Garnett called. The crowd errupted into cheers and hollers.  
Plasma gave a bow. _That suspiciously was too easy..._

•  
Rita struggled to see. Images of Vicky falling and hitting the ground kept filling her vision. PokeGirl22 was calling her name. She recognized the voice as Moon's.  
"Rita? Rita? Rita, wake up. Are you alright?" Moon kept repeating.  
PokeGirl22 was calling for Jet too. The voice belonged to Dew.  
Rita's eyes opened. It felt like she had just experienced a death of some sort. The TV caught her attention. It showed a picture of Smoke and Seed, with a huge VS sign in the middle.  
_Smoke's not here... _  
Rita woosily sat up. The death must have been Victoria's.  
"Are you two alright?"  
Rita looked behind her to see Lady Pidgeot, her feathers gleaming.  
"I'm... fine..." Rita answered.  
Jet just nodded.  
"Good." Lady Pidgeot nodded. "We don't need... to lose anymore members."  
A silence seemed to gape between them all, even thoughthe room was teeming with voices.  
"Have you found Smoke?" Rita asked, breaking the silence.  
Lady Pidgeot stretched up one wing, her golden feathers ruffling, and pointed at the TV screen.  
Rita strained to see what was happening. On the TV screen was Smoke battling it out with Seed.  
Rita grinned. It was nice to know that he wasn't dead too.

•  
Smoke flinched as Seed's seed bomb hit him square in the face. He fell backwards, feeling is body hi the ground.  
_Sh*t... I hate this warped space thing._  
He felt a flame growing inside his mouth. As it got bigger he released it at Seed. It hit her, but it barely did anything.  
_I'm gonna lose._  
Seed stared at Smoke. "You know, everyone's been looking for you. When you ran off it scared a lot of us." She jumped in the air and used vine whip.  
Smoke felt the vines wrap around his body, restraining him. He fired ember at the vines, but it did nothing. "I don't care!" he responded. "I needed to get away from those humans. They're probably all plotting against us!"  
Seed's face showed distress as she shook her head. "You have the wrong idea..." She raised Smoke into the air, slamming him hard on the ground. Smoke filled the air.  
Smoke coughed, not surprised at the blood that came outof his mouth. He looked up at the crowd. There was a huge TV screen above them.  
_I bet Rita's watching..._  
He shook his head. _I can't care about her anymore. She's just a human. An evil human plotting against me. _He looked up at the crowd again, then over at Garnett. Beside Garnett was Rae, looking dazed. Smoke caught his eye.  
_He's got the right idea of destroying humans. _  
Rae have a half-smirk, and his eyes said; _"Join me."_  
Smoke avoided his gaze. _I can't betray Rita... _He threw the most powerful flamethrower that he ever used. _Can I? _He shook his head. _Rita's my partner... The idea of her being destroyed... kills me..._  
The sound of Garnett speaking broke him from his thoughts. "U-Uh... I-I guess... we... have a winner?" He sounded a bit startled.  
Smoke looked in the direction he threw the flamethrower. Laying on the ground in what looked like a pool of blood was Seed- unmoving.  
Smoke felt like he was going to throw up. _D-D-Did I do that?! _He looked up and behind him at the crowd. Everyone was staring at him with horrified expressions. He glanced up in the direction Rae was in.  
Rae looked down at him, smiling. He nodded. He looked pleased.  
Smoke backed out of the arena. He trotted through the halls, not knowing where to go. Suddenly, he flelt something hit him, then claws pinned him up against the wall.  
"You stupid mutt! I'll kill you!" Charmeleon spat. He enclosed his claw around Smoke's neck as he pulled back his other arm behind him, ready to lash Smoke's face.  
Smoke struggled to breathe, flailing and growling. "It's just a battle! That's what happens"  
"You could have killed her!" Charmeleon hissed. He swung his arm down.  
Smoke braced himself. He pictured Charmeleon's claws stinging his face, gauging his eyes out...  
"Stop!"  
Charmeleon's claws stopped an inch from Smoke's face.  
Lady Pidgeot was behind him, Pidgey on her shoulder. "We don't need any more deaths!"  
_What!? I killed Seed?! _Smoke thought, ready to hurl.  
Lady Pidgeot lookd at him sympathetically. "No, Seed is fine. Just unconscience."  
_Then who-?_  
Charmeleon released the grip on Smoke's neck, and Smoke slid to the floor, gasping for air.  
Charmeleon glared down at him. "We were off to a good start, you and I. But now consider Team Star your enemy." With that he stalked off, the aura of his anger almost seeable.  
Lady Pidgeot helped Smoke up.  
"You said we don't need anymore deaths today," Smoke started. "What did you mean?"  
Lady Pigeot was silent for a while. "It happened while you were gone," she started. She hesitated. "Victoria jumped out a window."  
Smoke didn't know what to think. He felt guilty, but somewhat relieved at the same time. _Why do I feel relieved? I'm a terrible Pokemon... _How was Rita and the others taking it? And Flower... _Flower has lost both her team members... You can't be a one-person team unless you have graduated..._  
"I know," Lady Pidgeot said. "I'll talk to Flower about it. She'll have to either choose a team to join, find another member, or quit being a rescue team."  
_That reading-mind thing is really starting to freak me out... What if I'm thinking dirty thoughts?_  
"She'll have to quit?"  
Lady Pidgeot sighed. "Rules are rules."  
Smoke was quiet. "You know, no one has gone on a rescue mission in a while."  
"You can't during a tournament, unless you've been disqualified or aren't entering."  
"That sucks..." _Poor Vicky... I was wrong to judge her..._

•  
Rita watched the TV as Shield struck the Kirlia with ancient power. She silently cheered for him. The top of the screen said "Round 6". She wondered when it'd be her turn.  
"Dio isn't real!" Moon shouted at Plasma.  
"Yes he is! I saw him!" Plasma shouted back. "You'll see him too, once he gets called to fight!"  
"Hmph," Moon pouted. "I'm sure we will."  
_They fight constantly... how can they be a team?_  
"Do they tell you which round you'll be fighting in?" Jet asked her.  
"No," Rita replied. "I wish they did."  
Jet grinned. "Me too."  
There was an awkward silence.  
"Did you have that dream too?" Rita whispered, killing the silence.  
Jet nodded. "I wasn't sure if was my imagination or not."  
"Do you have a guardian?"  
"Yes," Jet replied.  
"Who are they?"  
"I think they were friends with us while we were human or something. I'm sure Rici has one, and Victoria probably _had _one..."  
"It was Chance," Rita explained. "She came to me asking me to talk to Vicky."  
"That's why you needed to find her?"  
"...Yeah..." Rita replied. "Who is your guardian? Mine is Lilligant."  
Jet hesitated. "Mine's name is-"  
He was cut off by Dragonite, who was standing behind him. "Jet?" He looked down at Jet. "Whoops, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."  
Jet looked up at him. "What is it?"  
"We've been sent by Emerald and Garnett to look for Team Shadow Cloud," Dragonite explained.  
"Team Shadow Cloud?" Rita asked. They sounded a bit familar.  
"Yaaaa!" Wigglytuff replied. "Absol, Haunter, and Howl! We can't find them. They just ran off, SHROO! Just like that!"  
Persian didn't say anything.  
_Why is he always so quiet? PokeGirl22._  
"So have you seen them?" Dragonite asked.  
"Not around here," Jet replied.  
Dragonite sighed. "Well, if you see them, let them know we're looking for them, kay?"  
"Will do, captain," Jet replied, grinning.  
Dragonite saluted him. "And we're off! Good luck in the tournament!" With that Dragonite, Wigglytuff, and Persian left.  
"We have a lot of teams disappearing, lately, don't we?" Vapor pointed out. "I wonder where they are."  
"And the winner is Shield!" Garnett announced, as a picture of Shield covered the screen. "Shield will be moving on to round two."  
"When is round one over?" Plasma asked. "It's late..."  
"It'll probably be a while," Jet answered. "There are a lot of competetors."  
"They next round will be..." Garnett started. "Swoobat VS Crobat!" A picture of Crobat and Swooat covered the screen.  
"I hope you do terrible," Plasma hissed at him as he flew by.  
"Don't get yourself killed," Mightyena called from the end of the room.  
_How inspirational._  
Rita watched the TV screen. She thought it was weird how Crobat was fighting Swoobat- another bat Pokemon. Crobat attacked Swoobat with a pain-inducing night slash, followed by a poison sting. Rita watched as Swoobat flundered around, obviously poisoned and in pain.  
Crobat then hit Swoobat with a confuse ray, and Rita watched in amusement as the big bat Pokemon flundered round the arena, hitting walls and recieving many shadow balls from Crobat.  
Swoobat eventually gave up an passed out.  
"And the winner is Crobat!" Garnett announced. "Crobat wil be moving on to round two."  
"He's a bit brutal," Jet commented.  
"Yeah," Dew agreed. "But it's a pretty good strategy."  
A picture of a Mamoswine and Dee popped up on the screen.  
"An Eevee versus a Mamoswine?" Moon asked. "That's hardly fair."  
"I think it's at random," a Mawile said. "I hope I don't have to face someone like that."  
"AAAAAAnd the winner is Mamoswine!" Garnett announced. "Mamoswine will be moving on to round two."  
"That was hardly a minute!" Moon gasped.  
"Some Pokemon are just unlucky," the Mawile sighed.  
A picture of a Bonsly and a Simisear popped upon the screen.  
For some reason all Rita could think about was Team Shadow Cloud. _Shouldn't I be more worried about what happened to Vicky? _Rita thought. She just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong. _What am I thinking? They're a strong team. They're probably just out on a mission._  
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Smoke enter the room.  
"Smoke!" she cheered. She dashed over to him, relieved. "Where did you go?" she asked. "I watched you battle. You were good! Have you seen Team Shadow Cloud?"  
Smoke was quiet for a while before he talked. He threw is arms around Rita. "I'm sorry for being a jerk. And I'm sorry about Vicky..."  
"And the winner is Embearl the Simisear! Embearl will be moving on to round two," Garnett called.  
Rita smiled. "It's okay, Smoke. I'm just glad you're okay."  
Smoke smiled- or at least Rita thought it was a smile.  
_Was that a smirk? _Rita shook her head. _No way. Only Mightyena does that._  
"For round ten we have Rita VS Kin!"  
Rita whipped around at the sound of her name. On the screen was a picture of her and an angry looking Blaziken.  
_I have to fight that guy?_  
"Good luck," Jet called to her.  
As Rita was leaving the room, she thought she heard Smoke whisper, "You'll need it." Maybe it was just her imagination.

•

_**Twenty minutes before the tournament**_

The humid cave was caked with mud, and a foul scent stung the air.  
"It smells in here!" Ten complained, a huge, squirming bundle dragging behind him. He struggled as he lugged it aross the cave floor.  
"It's called Stench Cave, stupid," Rae scolded, also dragging a bundle, and this one was also squirming. "What do you expect?"  
"Hmph," Ten pouted, then drifted his gaze to a fairly large Mightyena. "How come he gets the light one?"  
Mightyena looked over at him. "Stop complaining kid, and keep dragging," he said between the bundle in his mouth.  
"Rae, you bastard, let me out NOW!" Rae's bundle shouted.  
Rae turned around and kicked his bundle. A whimper of pain sounded from the bag. "Shut up!"  
"Let me out!" it barked.  
Rae laughed. "Sorry. Can't do that."  
"Why not?" the bundle asked.  
"I can't have you warning the others," Rae replied dryly.  
"What exactly are we doing with them?" Ten asked.  
Neither Rae nor Mightyena answered.  
They came across a half-dug hole, water dripping into it from te cave walls.  
"Here we are!" Rae said gleefully.  
Mightyena sniffed the hole. "Are you sure it's big enough?"  
"Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have brought us here if I wasn't sure," Rae answered.  
"I have a concern," Mghtyena announced.  
"Go on."  
He lifted up his sack, something squirming in it. "Won't Haunter escape? He's a ghost type Pokemon. Why hasn't he faded through the bag?"  
"The bag is made of a special cloth Gengar created," Rae explained. "He'll suffer the same fate as the others, don't worry."  
Ten jumped as his bundle growled. "Why are you doing this?!"  
Rae sighed. "We told you before. You know our plans."  
"You need to be disposed of as soon as possible," PokeGirl22 added. Mightyena lifted up his bag and dropped it in the hole.  
"Ow!" Haunter cried.  
Ten lugged his bag into the hole also. It made a loud "THUNK" as it hit the other sack.  
"Ouch, Howl, you're heavy!" Haunter complained from inside the bag.  
"Exactly my point!" Ten agreed.  
Finally, Rae threw his bag inside the dirt hole too. He walked over to a pile of dirt. "Help me fill the hole back up," he commanded, as he shoved dirt on top of the three sacks.  
"Lady Pidgeot will send a search party!" Rae's sack called. "They'll find our bodies! You won't get away with this!"  
Rae laughed as he continued pushing dirt on top of them, Mightyena now by his side. "We just did, Absol," he replied, smirking. He looked over at Ten, who kept looking down into the slowly filling up hole. "Ten! Get over here an help!"  
Ten hesitated for a moment, then went over and helped them.  
"Let us out!" Howl barked. He must have muttered something else, but Rae couldn't hear it because the dirt had entirely covered the bag Howl was in.  
"They'll find us," Absol coughed. "We may be dead but they'll find us!"  
Rae half smiled. "You can't see me, but I'm smiling," he laughed.  
"You can't see me, but I'm flipping you off," Absol hissed.  
Rae's smile faded."Bye, Absol. It was nice doing business with you," he said as he and Mightyena pushed the remainder of the dirt in, completely filling up the hole, cutting of all threats Absol was making.  
Ten stepped back. "We just commited a murder..."  
Rae grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get used to it."  
•


	20. Chapter 19: The Battle TournamentPart 2

Rita felt pain surge through her body as Kin's attack hit her straight in the face. She immediatley stood up, remembering the space disorder, and threw a raging blizzard back at him. She watched as Kin flew backwards, hitting he wall of the arena.

He stood up, growing. As quick as lightning, he pushed himself off the wall with his leg outstretched, flames crinkling on the bottom of his foot.

_Blaze kick! Shi-_

He rammed into her, the flames torching her pelt.  
She felt her body hit the wall, and her head snap back and hit it also. Her vision went blank for a while as she struggled to figure out where Kin was. She felt him hit her what what seemed like a billion attacks.  
Finally, she was able to see again, but only blurs. She struggled to see Kin. She spotted an orange-like figure coming towards her. Instinct made her fire a thunderbolt, which seemed to surprise him.  
He fell backwards, completely off-balance. Rita used the opportunity to use blizzard. She fired it straight at his face, making him flinch. As he flinched she scurried up to him and clawed at him.  
"Get off me!" he snarled, kicking Rita in the stomach.  
She clung on to his foot biting and clawing at it. She tasted blood. Finally, she used thunderbolt again.  
Th crowd roared as Kin fell backwards, passing out.  
Rita stood up, breathing heavily.  
"And the winner is Rita!" Garett announced. "Rita will be moving on to round two!"  
Rita glance up at Garnett, her vision returning. He was flanked by both Ruby and Emerald. Lady Pidgeot was on a different pedestall, Rae next to her.  
He caught her eye, and gave an innocent wave.  
_Well, I can play that game too. _Rita thought as she gave the most innocent smile she could and waved back. _He thinks he's such a great actor._

Rita trotted down the hallway back to the contestant's room, billions of thoughts buzzing through her mind. Most of them were about Victoria.  
_What was she thinking before she died? _Rita asked herself. _Did she feel set __free__? Is she in the spirit world now, with Chance? _The thought that Victoria might be with Chance soothed her. But the next question that popped in her head nearly killed her.  
_Could I have stopped her?_  
Rita stopped walking. She looked at the hallway wall. On it was a stainless mirror. She stared at her reflection.  
_I'm a Pokemon._  
Suddenly, she felt like she had just discovered that fact. She looked back at the mirror, wishing she hadn't. She jumped as she read the words written in what looked like blood, "YOU DIDN'T STOP ME". Suddenly the mirror cracked, and it was gone. The mirror now only showed cracked image of Rita and Rae.  
_Rae?_  
She spun around to see Rae staring down at her.  
"Why are you breaking mirrors?" he asked in a taunting tone.  
Rita flattened her ears. "Your face broke it. It was fine until you appeared."  
Rae faked a hurt look. "Hurtful! You should watch the words you use!"  
Rita glared at him. "I'll say what I want, thank you very much."  
Rae put an arm around her. "So where are we going for dinner tonight, sweetie?"  
Rita shoved him away. "Get your filthy paws off me!" she hissed. She glared at him again. "I can't shake off the feeling that _you _have something to do with Vicky's suicide."  
Rae's smile faded. "I would speculate that also, if I was you," he agreed. "But I don't have anyhing to do with it. She was just depressed. I would have much rather killed her, than have her kill herself."  
Rita gritted her teeth. "You're sick."  
She stalked back off to the contestant room, where a battle with Moon and Zangoose had just finished up. Rita felt sick as she watched Moon struggle to get up and walk back. Zangoose had won.  
"That was unfair!" Plasma complained. "He's a higher level than her!"  
"It is what it is," Crobat snapped at her. "Stop complaining. It's annoying."  
"Oh please Crobat," Mightyena started. "You complain all the time."  
Rita sat down between Plasma and Smoke, watching he screen as Garnet described the next contestants.  
"For round twelve we have Dio VS Poliwhirl!"  
"Hah, see?" Plasma called out, pointing the screen. "I told you he was real!"  
A picture of a Poliwhirl and a Ditto covered the screen.  
"HUH?!" Plasma cried.  
Crobat laughed. "Nice boyfriend you got there."  
"I thought he was an Emolga!" Plasma complained.  
"He probably just transformed into one to trick you," Dew said, chuckling. "Smooth."  
Plasma crossed her arms and pouted. "Psh. I hate him!"  
"There, there," Dew said, patting her back. "Love's tough."  
Rita yawned. _I wonder what PokeGirl22 it is. _She looked at the clock. It read 11:23 P.M. _This better end soon._  
"How do you think Froslass is doing?" Plasma asked suddenly.  
Jet turned around. "She's being controlled by Dark Palkia now, remember?"  
"What's causing Dark Palkia to be dark?" Moon asked.  
Jet thought for a moment. "A screw up in space, I believe." He lowered his voice. "And Rae."  
"And the winner is Poliwhirl!" Garnet's voice sounded.  
"Yeah!" Plasma cheered, jumping up. "Serves him right!"  
"Poliwhirl will be moving on to round two." Garnet looked at the crowd, then back at the camera. "We will continue the first rounds tomorrow morning, due to the time!"  
_Thank you!_  
"Have a great night, and make sure to tune in tomorrow!" Garnet said to the camera, Emerald and Ruby appearing beside him.  
"Bye!" the three said in unison, then the TV flickered off.

Rita yawned as Smoke snored beside her. For some reason, being in the same room with Smoke made her feel uneasy.  
On the other side of the room Team Resurrect was sleeping soundly. Rita felt like the only one awake.  
She let her mind drift off. The first thing that popped up in her mind was an image of Jet, of all things. Her cheeks burned crimson.  
_Why does he appear in my head so much? _  
She wanted to get rid of it, but at the same time it felt comforting. Smoke had been making her feel uneasy.  
_"Don't trust anybody." _the words rang again. _Are they trying to warn me about Smoke? Should I not trust him?_  
Without knowing it, Rita drifted off to sleep.

Smoke waited until Rita was asleep to wake up Shield.  
Shield slowly opened his eyes. "Whaa?"  
"C'mon," Smoke urged. "We told Rae we would meet him."  
_Am I doing the right thing?_  
Shield slowly rose to his feet. "Why do we have to meet so late?" he yawned.  
Smoke was becoming impatient. "You can complain to him about that." He tugged him towards the door. "Let's go."  
_I have to be. It's not like I'm plotting with them. _he reassured himself. _It's just a talk._  
Smoke and Shield entered the elevator. Smoke pressed the button that takes them to the lobby.  
The elevator ride was silent. Smoke felt a bit awkward around Shield. _I've never really spoken to him before. _He ignored it and looked at the changing numbers signifying[?] which floor they were on. His heart skipped a beat when they arrived at the ground floor.  
The glass doors slid open, and Shield and Smoke stepped out. Sure enough, Rae and Mightyena were standing there waiting for them, and he wasn't surprised to see Ten with wore a weird looking red cloth around his tail.  
An eerie feeling flooded through Smoke. He felt like someone else was there with them. _I must be imagining things._  
"Good morning!" Rae greeted, smiling innocently.  
"Morning?" Smoke asked, still not wanting to fully trust the two. Earlier, after Lady Pidgeot had left him, Rae had come and spoken to him. He used srange, hypnotic words that made Smoke want to believe what Rae and Mightyena were doing was right.  
"If I say 'good night' it just sounds weird," Rae replied playfully. "And if I say-"  
"Stop messing around," Mightyena interrupted him, growling. He turned towards Smoke and Shield, glaring at Smoke. "You are here because you agree wih our terms, correct?"  
_Terms? I'm just confused. _  
"Don't ask like you don't know, shorty," Mightyena growled at Smoke.  
"I-I'm not sure," Smoke stuttered.  
"Oi, I don't even know what I'm here for," Shield said, tilting his head.. "After my battle Mister Rae found me and told me I was strong, and to meet him here tonight." He looked questioningly at Rae. "What are your 'terms'?"  
Rae laughed suddenly. "There's an easier way than explaining them, and I can make you sure you want to join us."  
_What does he mean? _Smoke wondered.  
Rae stood up straight, raising his tail in the air. The red cloth started glowing a spooky purple color. "Gengar!" he called.  
The eerie feeling washed back over Smoke like a rain shower. A dreadfulness filled the air, like the feelingof death. _I need to get out of here..._  
Shield burried his head in his paws. "Eh... what is that?"  
Ten was quiet as he covered his head, also.  
Smoke noticed a figure slowly forming beside Rae. It was a big purple looking thing, about Rae's height but a bit taller. Smoke noticed that it was a Pokemon when it's image started to become clearer.  
_That's a Gengar!_  
Gengar rubbed his head. "Ugh. That was more difficult than expected." He poked his arm with his other hand. "God, it feels good to be in physical form again!" He glanced at Shield and Smoke.  
Smoke flinched. He felt like Gengar's stare was jabbing right in to his soul.  
Gengar glanced back at Rae and Mightyena. "Am I supposed to 'convince' them too?"  
"Duh," Mightyena growled. "Any day now."  
Gengar glared at him. "Shut up mutt, or I'll send you to the spirit world."  
_What? Who is this guy? _Smoke somehow new he had to get out of here.  
Shield apparently felt the same way too. "Erm... it's nice meetin' ya Gengar, it really is," he started, his voice shaking. "But this is all a bet creepy for my taste... I think I'll go," he finished, as he turned around.  
"Ah, no, no," Gengar started. "We can't have that." His eyes glowed red, and suddenly Shield lifted off the ground, and was set right in front of Gengar.  
_That's physic!_  
Gengar muttered something, and his eyes started glowing red again, but this time a darker red.  
"W-What are you-?" Shield cut himself off.  
His new sentence freaked Smoke out even more.  
"I will do as you say. What are your commands?"  
A smirk spread out across Gengar's face. "Perfect." He nodded towards Rae. "He's your's to control now."  
Rae grinned. "Thanks, partner."  
_W-What the PokeGirl22?! What move was that?! _Smoke turned to run away. _I have to warn Rita about this! I don't care if she's human, this Gengar is crazy!_  
"Where are _you _going?" Gengar called to him as Smoke felt his body lift off the ground.  
_No... _His body was set in front of Gengar's. _I don't want to be Rae's puppet. I'm sorry, Rita... _  
Gengar's eyes grew a dark red as he muttered something.  
Smoke cast a look at Ten. _Help me._  
Ten caught his eye. His face showed something of distraught as he turned his face away.  
Almost immediatley, Smoke flt his conscienceness become locked up. He was stuck in total blackness.

•  
Something that sounded like a loudspeaker sounded in Rita's ears.  
"ALL CONTESTANTS PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA," Ruby's voice rang.  
Rita stood up, stretching and swallowing a large yawn. She looked over at Smoke, who still seemed to be asleep. She prodded him in the side. "Hey," she told him. "Time to get up."  
Smoke's eyes opened slowly, almost robotically. He sat up, and turned his head towards Rita. "What?"  
_What's wrong with him? _"The tournament,"she reminded him. "It's time for the tournament."  
"Oh." He glanced across the room. "That." He looked back at Rita. "What are my instructions?"  
_Weirdo. _"Go down to the arena. Duh." She poked his cheek. _Nope. It's flesh._  
"Very well." With that, Smoke left the room.  
_Creep. _

Rita yawned. About four rounds had gone by, and now Night was fighting some ugly-looking Toxicroak.  
"This is gonna be FOREVER," Plasma whined.  
Rita looked across the room, ignoring Plasma's complaint. She surveyed the amount of contestants. _There's still a lot... _She spotted Ten. _I hope I don't have to face him. _  
He cast a look towards Rita's direction, catching Rita's eye. He looked at Smoke, hen back at Rita, and quickly turned his head away.  
_What was that about? Creep. _Rita looked past him Mightyena, who was sitting beside him. He was whispering something in his ear.  
Ten cast another glance at Rita- or was it Smoke?-, then quickly looked away again.  
_Talking about us? _Rita narrowed her eyes at them.  
Plasma must have noticed too. "HEY PUNK!" she shouted. What Rita thought were a thousand heads turned towards their direction. "WHAT'RE YOU LOOKIN' AT?"  
"Don't attract attention!" Moon scolded.  
Plasma glanced down at her. "No, no," she started. "If he has a problem he should come and say it to our faces!"  
Ten narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you want?"  
"YOU GOT A STARIN' PROBLEM, HUH?" Plasma shouted at him.  
"Not at all," Ten replied calmly, turning his head towards the TV.  
Plasma folded her arms across her chest. "Then stop lookin' over here, you weasel-lookin freak."  
Ten's eye twitched. "What was that? Say it again."  
Plasma grinned. "You heard me."  
"Stop talking!" Moon whispered up to her. "Don't make enemies with him. He's strong!"  
Ten stood up. "No please, say it again."  
Mightyena grabbed his arm, whispering something to him that Rita couldn't hear.  
Ten yanked his arm away. "No. I wanna hear what this rat-faced vermin has to say."  
The other Pokemon in the room grew quiet, waiting for Plasma to speak.  
"I called you a weasel looking freak," Plasma answered simply. "Problem?"  
"Plasma, sit _down,_" Dew hissed to her. "You're gonna 'cause trouble."  
Ten turned his hea away, smiling smugly. "At least my friend didn't kill herself."  
As soon as he said that, Plasma fired an electroball ball at Ten, who dodged gracefully.  
Ten turned to face her. "Oooh, fiesty, aren't we?" He threw a shadowall at her, which she obviously didn't expect. She got hit, and got thown across the room, her body hitting the wall.  
"Oh, okay. Ignore me," Dew started. "But when you get in trouble I'll be laughing."  
The two lunged at eachother, shadow balls and electroballs getting thrown in every which direction.  
"I'll kill you!" Plasma screamed at him, clawing at his face.  
Ten moved his face out of the way, and moved leg up, kneeing her in the stomach.  
Plasma double over, but quickly stood up again, rising in the air.  
_Plasma is such an idiot sometimes..._  
As she prepared to use aerial ace, she froze in midair. Her head whipped around, facing Flower. "Flower, put me down!"  
Flower shook her head. "Stop Plasma, please. It's not worth it."  
"She's _your _teammate I'm defending! You should be-" She got cut off as Ten's shadow ball hit her square in the face. She fell to the ground, Flower's physic being ripped apart.  
Without realizing it, Rita rushed to Plasma's aid, helping her up.  
As Ten prepared to throw another shadow ball, his arm was yanked backwards by Rae's grip.  
"OW!" he cried, as his arm twisted backards.  
"What's going on in here?" Rae asked the room, but it mostly seemed directed at Ten.  
_He acts like this high powered leader. _Rita thought, scowling. _But he's not._  
Mightyena spoke first. "I did try to warn him," he growled. "But he doesn't listen to me. He was fighting with Plasma."  
Rae glanced over towards Plasma and Rita. For what seemed like an hour but was actually a second, they each glared at eachother. Rae's glare was quickly replaced with a stern look. "Save your battling for the tournament," he said sternly. He then looked down at Ten. "As for you, we need to talk." He nodded towards Mightyena, and the three left the room.  
_Why does Rae need Mightyena in order to talk to Ten? _Of course. Why hadn't she thought of it earlier? _Ten's probably on their side! He probably hates me because he thinks I'm Lilac and I'm lying to him!_  
Plasma stood up. "That freak." She looked around the room at the staring Pokemon. "Well?" she asked. "What?"  
They all turned their heads away, muttering to one another.  
"And the winner is Night!" Garnet announced, as the camera did a close in on Night. "Night will be moving on to round two."  
Moon came up behind Plasma and smacked the back of her head.  
Plasma whipped around. "What was that for?!"  
"For being stupid!" Moon yelled at her.  
"I was defending Vicky! What's so bad about that?" she asked.  
"It wasn't a smart move," Jet said, entering the room. He walked over to her, looking down at her. "You just made enemies with a pretty strong Pokemon."  
Rita looked over at Smoke, wondering if he had an input on this. She was surprised to see that he was staring blankly at the wall. _What's wrong with him today?_  
Plasma sighed. "Whatever. He's the one that should watch it." She walked off to talk with Moon, Dew, and Flower.  
"Hey."  
Jet's voice called her attention. She looked over at him.  
"The three of us, we need to talk," he said. "Do you know where Rici is?"  
_Talk about what? _She shot a worried glance towards Smoke, then looked back at Jet. He seemed to get the message.  
"It'll be quick," he told her, grinning. "I won't let Smokey freak out again," he said, making a peace sign. "Now, where's Rici?"  
Rita thought for a moment. "He's not entering the tournament, so he's most likely watching it from his room."  
Jet nodded. "Alright. Where's his room?"  
"I don't know. He's sharing a room with Team Jewel, though."  
"Alright. I know where's they're staying," he said. "Let's go."  
Rita heard Dew whisper "Stalker!" but either Jet didn't hear it or he ignored it.

"What do you want to talk to us about?" Rici asked.  
Jet took a stern look on his face. "Us."  
"And the winner is Espeon!" the TV blared. "Espeon will be moving on to round two."  
"What do you mean?" Rita asked.  
"Us humans," he answered. "I've been wondering if we will really be able to stop this 'Dark Palkia'." He sighed. "Because, you know... there's only three of us now."  
"I've been thinking that too," Rici agreed. "But what will complaining about it do?"  
Jet looked at them both sternly. "There has to be another human," he said. "Or, at least, a Pokemon from the human world that we knew before."  
"But there was only five humans on the boat," Rita said. "Me, you, Rici, Rae, and Vicky. Rae isn't on our side and Vicky is..."  
"Yes, I know," Jet cut in. "But there were Pokemon on the boat, too. Who's to say they're not among us?"  
Rici and Rita were quiet for a bit, before Rici spoke.  
"That's a good observation, but the Pokemon that were on the boat have turned into guardians, haven't they?"  
_So Rici _does _have a guardian! _  
"Well, from what I know we each only have one guardian right? That's five Pokemon for five humans..." He counted on his fingers. "I'm pretty sure I saw another Pokemon on the ship."  
Rita thought for a moment. "Yeah, I remember that too! I think our father sent one of his Pokemon with us to protect us... but I forget what kind of Pokemon it was."  
Rici nodded.  
"Perfect." Jet clasped his hands together. "All we have to do is find out who it is."  
Rici scowled. "And how exactly do we do that? Go around and say 'Excuse me, but are you from the human world?'" He scrunched his face up. "That's stupid."  
Jet frowned. "How else are we supposed to find out? Got any other ideas?"  
Rici sighed. "I hate socializing."  
"Well that's your problem, unless you want our worlds destroyed."  
Rici didn't answer.  
"It's settled then. We'll start searching ASAP," Jet said.  
_Who could it be? This'll be hard..._  
"And now we have Mightyena VS Pidgeotto!" the TV yelled.  
Jet grinned. "I gotta see this."  
Pidgeotto and Mightyena appeared on screen, Mightyena with a glint in his eye. As soon as Garnet yelled "BEGIN!", he sprung into action, attacking Pidgeotto with bite. He clung on to Pidgeotto's wing as she desperately flapped it around, trying to get him off. It didn't take much to tell that she wasn't an experienced fighter.  
She continued to flail around desperately.  
_Just use drill peck or something! _Rita thought. She didn't want Mightyena advancing.  
As quick as lightning, Mightyena released his grip, jumping backwards.  
Pidgeotto cradeled her wing, not realizing that Mightyena was charging at her, using giga impact. She let out a squeal as he hit her. She flew in the air, landing flat on her back. Dirt and dust filled the air. As it cleared, it was easy to tell that Pidgeotto had fainted.  
Mightyena stood a good few yards away from her, panting from the recoil effects of giga impact.  
Rita stood, stunned. _He really is strong! That battle was less than a minute!_  
"Well, that was inspiring," Rici remarked sarcastically, turning towards Jet. "How are we supposed to beat _that_?! I'm sure Rae is even stronger."  
Jet scrunched up his face. "I've beaten Mightyena before. I can beat him again."  
"And Rae?" Rici asked, tapping his foot.  
"Rae's a different case..."  
For some odd reason, thinking about Rae made her wonder how _exactly _he was managing to hypnotize Palkia and Froslass. _He's not a physic or a ghost type Pokemon...so how did he do it? Does he... have someone powerful on his side? _The thought of a Pokemon more powerful than Rae made her shudder, as frightening images flooded throughout her head.  
"And, just wondering..." Rici's voice cut off her thoughts. "Some Pokemon think humans are the cause of the meteor that hit the Rescue Camp," he said, looking at Rita. "It doesn't help that her team name is Team Meteor, either. I've already heard teams gossiping and spreading rumors about it  
"You guys better hurry down to that competetor room. Smoke will be getting suspicious," Rici said. He narrowed his eyes. "And some other Pokemon might be getting suspicious of _other _things."  
Jet's face grew red, and Rita felt her's grow hot. She knew what he was implying. _Agh... Why does everyone think that?_  
"Aight," Jet replied, turning away. "Let's go, Rita."

A strange satisfaction made Rae grin as he watched Pidgey faint, defeated by Tamata the Mawile. He glanced over towards Lady Pidgeot. She had a horror-stricken look on her face.  
He felt something make him smirk. _Weak little thing... _he thought. _You deserved that. It's going to be exciting to watch you cry as you watch your mommy die. _He heard _him _repeat his orders.  
_"You will kill them all. Both worlds!" _he exclaimed.  
Rae grinned again. _Yes, yes. I know. I can't wait. How much longer? I hate keeping up this stupid act._  
_"Not too long, but it might be a few weeks. I need to get things in order here."_  
_Is everyone there staying there? They haven't had any contact with this world?_  
_"That Chansey and Lilligant have managed to get around it, but I took care of it," _he said proudly. _"Aren't I great?"_  
_Yeah. You're the best. Thanks for everything._  
_"I'm perfect, right?Tell me I'm perfect."_  
"You're perfect," Rae replied. "Everything I ever wanted in a friend! You're-"  
"Rae?"  
Rae looked in the direction the voice came from. Emerald. Ruby, Garnet, and Lady Pidgeot were all looking at him with confused looks.  
"Are you okay?" Emerald continued.  
Rae put on the fake smile he always used. "Just perfect!"  
"Oh! That's good!" Ruby said happily.  
Emerald smiled, turning back to Garnet as he spoke.  
"Alright... Now that that's settled...Next we have Dew VS Vendo, the Vanilluxe!" he announced.  
Lady Pidgeot leaned in towards Rae. "Are you sure you're okay?" she whispered. "You've been talking to yourself _a lot _during the tournament. Is something bothering you?"  
Rae looked over at her, smiling. "I'm great! Don't worry your pretty little self over me, m'lady."  
Lady Pidgeot grinned. "Alright, if you say so." She turned back to the match between Dew and Vendo.  
Rae continued to smile. _I can't wait to kill you. _Still smiling wildly, he turned back to the battle.  
Dew jumped in the air, avoiding the icebeam that Vendo sent at him. The Dewott then sent a waterpulse straight at him. Vendo tried to dodge, but ended up getting hit right in the stomach.  
Dew grinned.  
_You're not as bad as the others, _Rae thought. _If things were different, you would understand. _That made him think of Victoria. _Her too. I feel bad for her... being a human..._  
_"But you're a human too," he said._  
Rae scowled. _Don't remind me. I hate myself for it._  
_"Of course, if you had never been a human, I wouldn't exist," he continued._  
_If I had never been a human, I wouldn't have needed you to exist._  
_He growled. "Don't say that! I needed to exist no matter what! Don't be selfish, that's what humans do!"_  
_My selfishness is what created you._  
_"Don't act like you're superior!" he screamed._  
A huge wave of pain shuddered through Rae. He clutched his head. "Gah.. stop!"  
_"You see who's superior now?" Gengar asked. "Don't forget it." _  
Rae felt his presnce float away, the pain subsiding.  
"Rae?" Lady Pidgeot asked. "Rae, are you alright?"  
Rae moved his hands away from his head, looking at Lady Pidgeot. "Yeah... I'm just gonna go get some water." He stood up, ignoring Lady Pidgeot's protests.  
"And the winner is Dew!" Garnet announced.  
Rae walked down the steps out of the arena. _He's getting more powerful... _Rae grinned evily. _Soon he'll have the power to make the legendaries attack Arceus, and we'll be able to hypnotize him... _"Ha ha... ha ha..." He started laughing, standing in the middle of the hallway. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT WILL BE GREAT!" He wobbly walked down the white hallway, giving huffs of laughter ever now and then. _Where's the water fountain? _He glanced around, everything turning white. _The water fountain... where is it? Where'd it go?_The white overlasped him, his vision bluring. "Ha... haha... What's a water fountain? Hahaha..."

Rita watched a picture of Dew appear on the screen. _Now that I think about it, The Game is really advanced in the Pokemon world. Most of the Pokemon from the Rescue Camp didn't even know what a TV was. _She narrowed her eyes. _Wait, does that mean Garnet or Emerald or Ruby could be the Pokemon from the human world?! _The thought weirded her out. _I don't think I'd want them to be..._ She looked around the room. _Jet said we should begin searching right away. _She surveyed the Pokemon around her, starting with her friends.  
_Moon? _She shook her head. _Moon would have said something. _She looked from Moon, to Plasma, to Flower. _This will be harder than I thought. I need to think outside the box. _Her eyes settled on Mightyena, appearing in the room. _Could it be him? _She scowled. _No. Mightyena hates humans. Stupid hater. _She paused in her thoughts. _But Rae is a human, and he hates humans... _She shook her head again. _No. it's not Mightyena. It's definetley[?] not him. _  
"Now we have Arbok VS Dragonite!" Garnet shouted at the camera man.  
_Dragonite? Could it be him? Or someone from his team? _She went through Team Z's members. _Wigglytuff? I don't think so... he's too weird. Persian? Maybe... But he's really stuck-up. It'd be annoying working with him. Dragonite? Possibly... _She gritted her teeth. "ARRGGGHHHH! THERE ARE SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!" she screamed. She realized she had spoken out loud. Embarassed, she glanced around, looking at the strange faces pointed in her direction.  
"WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES, RITA?" Plasma shouted at her, laughing.  
Rita narrowed her eyes. "Don't make fun of me!"  
Plasma replied by laughing. "Sometimes you earn it."  
Rita grinned, looking around the room again. She spotted Ten. _I'm already sure that he's human, but he's been hanging around Rae and Mightyena... But what about the rest of Team Shade? _She looked at Night and Crobat, who greeted Mightyena. _They're on our side. Could they be Pokemon from the human world? What about Game members? I've only met five... Garnet, Ruby, Emerald, Ten, and that Mawile who's name I forget. Oh... and Kin... that Blaziken... This is impossible! _She looked over at Jet. He seemed to be staring into space, but he was probably doing what she was doing.  
Rita watched Dew walk in the room. _He can't be from the human world. Him or Vapor. They would have told us. No one from the Rescue Camp probably is. They all know that me, Jet, and Rici are humans. They would have said something. _She sighed, looking from Game member to game member, stopping occasionally to question, _Is PokeGirl22 from the human world? What about him? _  
"And the winner is Dragonite! Dragonite will be moving on to round two!"  
Rita looked up at the screen. _I hope I never have to face him. Even if he might be from the human world, I- _Her thoughts cut off as a picture of Umbreon and Victoria popped up on the screen.  
"Next we have-" Garnet cut himself off, his happy face disappearing. He looked across at the camera man, who was operating what popped up and what didn't. "Nidoking, take it off. The Vulpix isn't here right now." He turned to the crowd, then back to the camera, putting on a happy face again. "Umbreon wins by default!"  
Sadness rippled through Rita like she was stabbed. A silence filled the room. Rita knew why. They all knew.  
Umbreon shuffled his paws, looking down at them.  
Rita's head hurt as she remembered the mirror and the strange words. 'YOU DIDN'T STOP ME.' She was probably hallucinating.  
Garnet continued to speak. "Moving on..." A picture of Flower and an Ariados appeared on the screen. "Flower the Munna VS Ariados!"  
_Poor Flower. After all that... _  
Rita sadly watched as Flower made her way across the room into the hallway.

•  
_Where am I? _she asked herself. A calm feeling washed over her, emptying her painful thoughts. _This feels... nice... It's like I'm floating on a cloud... _  
Memories rippled through her mind.  
_I'm at a park... It's snowing! I'm so young... I... I see a girl... A girl and I meeting for the first time. We're going to be best friends! I know it!_  
_...Oh! She has her Petilil with her! That's the pre-evolved form of Lilligant... Haha. We're so young... so careless. _  
_Now we're sharing thoughts. She's asking me my favorite color. Oh! It's purple. Haha! Her's is purple too!_  
_I just know we're gonna be great friends._  
_If I could be a Pokemon, what would I be? That's easy! A Vulpix, of course. _  
_Ha! She wants to be a Delcatty. She reminds me of a Delcatty._  
_My name? My name is Victoria! I like Vicky better, though._  
_Her name is Rita! That's such a pretty name!_  
_...Let's be friends?_  
_Yes! I'd love to be friends with her!_  
_...What? She has to go? Mother's calling for her? _  
_Alright. I'll meet her here tomorrow. This exact spot. I hope it's still snowing! Bye, Rita!_  
_._  
_Rita's here again! I'm so excited! ...What? Why are you crying, Rita? Who is this with you? He's kinda cute... His strawberry hair looks exactly like yours! _  
_His name is Rici? He's crying too... Why are you both crying? Your tears look like the snow on the ground._  
_Your mother? What happened to your mother? She's dead? Please... don't cry... See? It's okay! I'm here! It's alright! Please don't cry. Please._  
_See? It's okay! I'm here! I'm here! Vicky's here, Rita! Vicky will never go away!_  
_See? It's nice to smile, isn't it? You have a nice smile._  
_See? It's fun to laugh! You have a nice laugh! Keep laughing!_  
_See? Everything's gonna be alright! Of course I'll never leave you like your mother did! Why would I do that?_  
_See? I'm gonna stay with you forever! We'll be friends forever!_  
_._  
_The park is really looking nice today, covered in snow. I have the perfect snow suit- perfect for a seven-year-old! Ah! Here comes Rita! She's with Rici and someone else._  
_Who's this, Rita? His name is Jetson? He looks like someone I used to know before I moved here. His name was Collin. _  
_Can Jetson be my friend, too? Well, DUH! _  
_What, Rici? Rita likes Jetson? That's adorable, Rita! Haha, your face is so red! No, it's not from the cold. Don't lie._  
_See? It's nice to smile. You have a nice smile. Heh... Jetson thinks so too._  
_See? It's fun to laugh. You have a nice laugh! Keep laughing!_  
_See? I'll be here forever! We'll be friends forever! You and Rici and Jetson and me!_  
_._  
_I'm always the first one here. I would expect a twelve-year old to be more lazy. I'm just so full of energy today!_  
_Jetson has arrived! Where's Rita and Rici? Are they leaving us?_  
_...They're just late? It's been a while..._  
_Oh! Here they are! Someone is with them, too. Wow, Rita! You're always bringing friends! Who is this? Hey... I've seen him around the school. Nobody really talks to him... He has a Pokemon with him. It's a Gengar! He looks cold. He's wearing just a shirt and shorts. He's gonna catch a cold!_  
_His name is Rae? That's a cool name!_  
_Here, Rae. Take my jacket. You need it more than I do._  
_Make your Gengar stop staring at me. It's creepy. _  
_Haha, you have a nice laugh, just like Rita!_  
_Ow, Rici! Don't throw snowballs at me! I'll throw them back! Ha! Take that! _  
_Rita! That's not nice! You too, Jetson! Fine! It's three against... two! Rae's on my team!_  
_Rita, thanks for bringing all these friends!_  
_See? It's nice to smile. You have a nice smile!_  
_See? It's fun to laugh. You have a nice laugh! Keep laughing!_  
_See? I'm never going to leave you! I'll be here forever! We'll be friends forever! You and Rici and Jetson and Rae and me!_  
_._  
_The snow has melted. What a shame... I like snow. I still have to wear comfortable clothes though. They're ugly, but who cares? This fifteen year old doesn't!_  
_The boat is ready to sail to Disorted Island. Where are you, Rita? Jetson is here. He has his Houndour._  
_Hi, Rae!_  
_...?_  
_You look different... Like you're in a trance or something. You have a nasty look in your eye... Is everything okay? Here, take my jacket. Learn to wear proper clothing._  
_Make your Gengar stop staring at me. It's creepy._  
_...? _  
_Stop ignoring me._  
_Finally, Rita. You're here. You have your Lilligant! Ha, Rici has his Minccino. I'm guessing you didn't bring your whole team._  
_...?_  
_Who's the other Pokemon with you? He looks annoyed... His tail is lashing back and forth. He's your father's Pokemon? He's here to protect us? If you say so..._  
_Well, we need to stop this crazed Palkia._  
_._  
_Ugh... the boat is swaying back and forth. I think I'm getting sick. _  
_Rita, you have terrible steering!_  
_Huh... looks like a storm's approaching. The sky is getting dark._  
_Stop the boat!_  
_...? _  
_No, Rae, we can't keep going! The storm is too big and windy! By the way, that's the first time you've spoken!_  
_I don't wanna put an end to this anymore..._  
_The sky is dark. I see something... WHAT?! Zekrom? It can't be! Gengar's eyes are glowing a dark red. Creepy._  
_AHHH! LIGHTNING!_  
_I'm... choking... So much water..._  
_Rita, where are you?_  
_._  
_A... beach? Who are these Pokemon? One's a Munna and one's a Chansey... _  
_...Who am I? I don't even know anymore... My name? Vicky! What happened?_  
_Oh? Your names are Flower and Chance. _  
_Where am I? _  
_A Rescue Camp? A rescue team? What?_  
_WHAT?! THEY'RE TALKING!_  
_...I'm a Pokemon?_  
_...HOLY CRAP I'M A VULPIX!_  
_...Team Luck? What?_  
_._  
_Rita! It's so good to see you again! You turned into a Delcatty! I remember when you said you wanted to be a Delcatty. See? I'm a Vulpix._  
_Haha, Jetson's a Floatzel! Rici's a Riolu. He still looks cute._  
_It's great to see you all again!_  
_...I wonder where the fifth one of us is. I can't remember their name... gah..._  
_At least WE'RE together!_  
_See? It's nice to smile. You have a nice smile._  
_See? It's fun to laugh. You have a nice laugh! Keep laughing!_  
_See? I thought you were gone, but you're not! I'm never going to leave you! We'll be friends forever!_  
_._  
_...Chance... Please don't leave... I'm begging you, please don't leave... I can fix you up! See? Cloth is all we need..._  
_I don't care if I lost the bet!_  
_...?!_  
_Why have you stopped breathing?! START BREATHING!_  
_NO! CHANCE! COME BACK! NO! SHE'S NOT GONE!_  
_SHUT UP, RAE! SHE'S NOT GONE!_  
_...No... She can't be... She's not gone!_  
_She's not._  
_She can't be._  
_We're Team Luck._  
_...Thank you for saving me,Chance..._  
_._  
_Rae, you're such a traitor. You're a human, but you're against us? You're the fifth one of us... This is depressing..._  
_Don't mock me. Stop using that fake smile on me. I wish I wasn't in your group. It's your fault that the Rescue Camp is demolished. _  
_Stop smiling like that. _  
_Stop laughing like that. You used to have a nice laugh... but now... Gah. You're a monster._  
_Death seems like the best option right now. Stop taking, Rae and Flower._  
_I wish I could smile. Rita has a nice smile..._  
_I wish I could laugh. Rita has a nice laugh..._  
_I don't know how much longer I'll be here._  
_._  
_Stop yelling at me! I don't care! Flower, shut up!_  
_...?_  
_Rita? You're there too? WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME? I DIDN'T DO ANYHING WRONG!_  
_This window is so hard to open!_  
_Finally, it's open!_  
_...? _  
_The door's gone!_  
_...?_  
_Rita? Flower? Why do you both look so terrified? I'm only making myself happy... don't you want me to be happy?_  
_I'm falling... This is what it's like to fall. I feel so free..._  
_Wow! The wind feels like-_  
_._  
_._  
She opened her eyes. Suddenly she was inside The Game.  
_Huh... what happened? _she asked herself.  
_...?_  
_Rita? Rita! I found you! You're with Vapor!_  
_...? _  
_What? Why are you crying, Rita?_  
_...Me? What happened to me? Please talk to me! See? It's okay! I'm here! It's alright! Please don't cry. Please.  
See? It's okay! I'm here! I'm here! Vicky's here, Rita! Vicky will never go away! I'm right here!  
Don't act like I'm not here...  
Please don't cry.  
See? It's nice to smile, isn't it...? You have a nice smile... Please smile...  
See? It's fun to laugh... You have a nice laugh... Please laugh...  
See? Everything's gonna be alright... I'll never leave you... I'm right here.  
See? I'm gonna stay with you forever... I'm right here Rita! Please stop crying! We'll be best friends forever!  
I'll never leave you. I'll be here forever! I'll never leave you...  
I'll be here forever!_


	21. Chapter 20: The Battle Tournament Part 3

Rita yawned. It felt like the tournament had been going on forever. She had watched everyone she knew battle, and a lot of people she didn't know. She had felt very uneasy when Garnet would call out a member of Team Shadow Cloud. She had been keeping a close eye on everyone, including Ten. She noticed that all three times Absol, Haunter, or Howl was called, his eyes would grow a bit wider, and he'd nervously tap his foot. It made Rita think he had something to do with Team Shadow Cloud's disappearance.

"And for the final battle," Garnet started, "Will be Cranidos VS Electrode!"

_Thank Arceus... I hope this is over soon. I'm hungry._  
Rita glanced over at Smoke, still worried. He hadn't spoken at all. She sat down next to him, nervously looking over at him. He didn't even blink.  
"Smoke?" she asked.  
He moved his head towards her robotic-ally. "Yes, Rita?"  
She shuffled her paws. "Are you okay? If you need to talk, we can talk."  
Smoke blinked, no emotion in his voice what so ever. "Am I okay?"  
"Are you okay?" she asked again.  
He tilted his head. "Am I?"  
"Smoke, just answer the question!" she said abruptly.  
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I okay? Should I be? I await further orders."  
Irritation prickled at Rita like pine needles. "Smoke, if this is some sort of a joke it's not funny."  
Smoke tilted his head. "Is it a joke?"  
Rita growled. "You're impossible!"  
When he didn't answer, she turned her head away. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jet talking to someone. She turned her head further to see who it was. She wrinkled her nose as she spotted Sweetie, a Lopunny she had watched battle earlier. Just watching her walk on to the arena field had rubbed her the wrong way.  
Something prickled at her when they both started laughing together. She hadn't really felt that before, maybe only a couple times when Rici got more attention from their father than she did. She scowled.  
"And the jealousy has begun!" someone whispered from behind her.  
Rita knew who it was. Who else would say that? "I'm not jealous, Dew," Rita started, her cheeks flushing. "I just don't like her."  
Dew grinned. "And you know _why _you don't like her?" he asked.  
Rita rolled her eyes. "No,Dew," she started. "Please explain how you know why I don't like her."  
He chuckled. "Because you like Jetty and you're _jealous_!" he whispered, then scampered away.  
"Stupid otter," Rita muttered to herself, glancing over at Sweetie and Jet again. _I'm not jealous, and I don't like Jet._  
A flirtatious smile spread across Sweetie's face. "You're a great fighter, Jeeeet!"  
Rita scowled again. _I'm not jealous._  
Jet grinned. "Thanks."  
_Am I?_  
"And the winner is Electrode!"  
Rita looked up at the screen, relieved.  
"The second rounds will start after lunch!" Garnet shouted at the screen. Emerald and Ruby appeared beside him.  
"Bye-byeeeee!" the three said in unison. The TV flickered off.  
Lady Pidgeot appeared in the room, Pidgey resting atop her head. "Alright!" she called. "Off to lunch now!"  
Pokemon pushed themselves out of the room. Rita searched for Jet, but she couldn't find him. _He's probably with Sweetie... _She shook her head. _No. Why am I making assumptions? _She looked for Smoke, and spotted him sitting on the bench, staring off into space. She walked over to him, still slightly annoyed. "Smoke, let's go."  
He lifted up his head, looking straight at Rita. "Go where?" he asked, then added, "I await further orders."  
Rita sighed, irritated. "To the mess hall, dummy."  
"Very well," he answered, standing up. Without waiting for her, he walked out.  
_Geez if you're mad at me just tell me! _Rita gritted her teeth, walking ot of the room to the mess hall. She wasn't surprised when she saw Smoke randomly standing in the middle of the huge room. She sighed, walking up to him. If he was going to make it so she has to control him, let him. "Go get some lunch," she told him.  
"What kind?"  
Rita sighed again. "Anything you want."  
Smoke tilted his head. "What do I want?"  
"You don't want to eat," someone said. "You are going to come with me."  
Rita scowled as Mightyena walked over to them. "What do you want?"  
"I need to talk with Smoke," Mightyena replied innocently. "Just a friendly conversation."  
Rita narrowed her eyes. "Why?"  
"Because." Mightyena looked at Smoke, then over to a different table. He smirked. "And it looks like you're gonna be too busy to talk with him."  
Rita looked over her shoulder. Sweetie, an Ampharos, and Sapphire approached Jet's table, Sweetie flashing smiles at him. Rita started to turn back to Mightyena. "I'm not jealous, if that's what you-"  
He was gone.  
She gritted her teeth. _I'll worry about them later._

•  
Smoke followed Mightyena outside, his gaze dazed and unblinking.  
_I will follow..._  
The sun beams hit his eyes.  
_Who will I follow?_  
Rae and Ten came into sight, Rae strangely clutching the side of his head and Ten with a clawmark across his face.  
_I will follow..._  
Mightyena gave Rae a strange look. "Smoke is apparently controllable to anyone. Rita was giving him orders."  
Rae moved his paw off his head. "Well that's..." he drifted off.  
Ten poked him. "Uh, Rae?"  
Rae slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" He glanced wide-eyed everywhere, his pupils tiny. As his gaze settled on Mightyena, his eyes returned to normal. "Hi...? Mightyena? What about Smoke?" He looked at Smoke. "If he's obeying Rita, just give him the order not to. Give him the other order, too." He sighed. "Honestly, Mightyena, do you not know how to control someone?"  
"I await further orders," Smoke said automatically. It was one of the orders Gengar had given him.  
Mightyena glared at him, turned to Smoke. "Listen closely. You may not disobey this order."  
Smoke nodded. He would obey anything Mightyena told him to.  
_What is this noise inside my head?_  
"You may not obey any of Rita's orders. Do you understand? Act completely normal around her and everyone else."  
Smoke listened to Mightyena's voice. "I will not obey... Rita."  
_Rita... I know her... Rita... she's..._  
Mightyena smirked. "Actually," he started without Rae's permission. "After this next order is givin, and after you've carried it out, you will not know who Rita is anymore.  
Rae smiled. "I like that!" he praised. "Creative!"  
Ten tilted his head, looking uneasy. "What's the next PokeGirl22?"  
Smoke listened intently to Mightyena's next instruction, as Ten's eyes grew wide.  
_My partner! I can't do that! Rita? Can I do that? I must obey... I can't obey!_  
"W-What?!" he asked. "We can't do that!" he shouted. "We're not murderers!"  
Rae grinned. "Last time I checked, you dragged Howl's body to that hole an helped us burry it."  
Ten swallowed, silently looking at the ground.  
"I..." Smoke's eyes widened, looking straight ahead. "I can..."  
Mightyena glared at him. "No one told you to speak!"  
"I can..."  
Rae threw a questioning look at Mightyena. "You can...?"  
Smoke looked to the side. "I cannot obey."  
_I can... I can't..._  
Rae forced a laugh, walking over to Smoke and setting a hand on his shoulder. "Of course you can! Rita is your enemy! You can- no. You _will _BREAK her."  
_What is this noise inside my head? Rita is... _A wide grin spread across his face. _I will BREAK her..._

•  
Rita plopped down at the table Team Waterpulse was at. Sweetie and her team were gone by now. "Mind if I sit here today?" she asked. "Smoke's being... weird..."  
Jet tilted his head, grinning. "Of course." There was a slight hint of red in his face.  
Rita hoped Plasma and Moon didn't mind. She glanced next to her at Dew, who was swinting his eyes and grinning. She punched him in he side, hoping it hurt. Rita didn't know there was an empty seat next to Jet until Sweetie sat down.  
_Dammit! Why didn't I sit next to him?! _She felt her face burn slightly. _Why am I so worried about it all? I'm not jealous!_  
"Heeeeey, Jettily!" Sweetie squeaked flirtatously. "Mind if I sit here today?"  
Jet shrugged. "Okay."  
_Ha! He said "Of course" to me! Ha! _Rita looked over at Sweetie. _Not that it matters._  
Sweetie caught her gaze. "What are _you _looking at?" she sneered. She then hooked herself on to Jet's arm. "Jettily, who is this?" she asked innocently, resting her head on his shoulder.  
Jet slowly pushed her away, while Vapor and Dew sat with amused grins. "Her name's Rita. She's a member of Team Meteor, and one of our friends."  
Sweetie looked hurt. "You have female friends?"  
"Hey!" Vapor snapped.  
Sweetie glanced at her. "Oh, shush hun, this doesn't involve you." She looked back at Jet. "Tell her to stop looking at me."  
Dew poked Rita's side. "You're never gonna win if you sit there like a statue. Say somehing," he whispered.  
Rita shot a glare at him, then looked back at Sweetie. Before Jet could reply, Rita spoke. "Oh, I'm sorry," she started. "I didn't realize dogs didn't like attention."  
Sweetie glared at her. "You better watch it, girl."  
Rita shrugged. "Or what?" she asked.  
Sweetie didn't say anything, just continued PokeGirl22ing at Rita. "Well..." she finally started, standing up. "I might have to hurt you."  
Rita stood up too. "You can't hurt me," she growled. "You don't have the guts to. Just a coward."  
With that, Sweetie launched at her. Rita felt her weight on top of her. She clawed at Sweetie's face, hoping that it hurt her.  
"CHICK FIGHT!" Dew yelled.  
Immediatley, everyone's heads in the room turned towards them.  
Rita's head hurt as Sweetie used dizzy punch on her. Rita unlEASHED thundErbolt. She spotted Moon. Plasma, Flower, Rici, Night, and Crobat in the circle forming around them, Plasma fist-pumping.  
"YEAH, GO RITA! HIT 'EM WITH A SPLASH ATTACK!" Plasma cheered.  
Crobat smacked her upside the head. "You're so stupid!"  
Rita grinned as she noticed Sweetie had stopped moving. _She must be paralyzed! Now's my chance! _As Rita prepared Blizzard, she felt some kind of force stop her.  
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE TOLD YOU TO STOP FIGHTS?!" Garnet's voice boomed. Everyone grew quiet.  
Rita looked around. _He's using physic on me. _She glared at Sweetie. She had a physic vield around her too.  
Garnet sighed, now between the two. He looked into the crowd. "Who was the one who shouted "CHICK FIGHT"?"  
Hands pointed at Dew, who had his hands up in surrender.  
"I didn't think you'd take me alive..." he muttered.  
Garnet sighed again, as a physic vield appeared around Dew too. "You three are coming with me."

Rita glanced around, sitting in a silver chair beside Dew. Sweetie was on the other side of him, while Lady Pidgeot stood behind them.  
Garnet sat behind some sort of desk-like structure. "Why?" he asked, the question directed towards Sweetie. "I expect better of you."  
Sweetie flashed her innocent eyes. "But Mr. Garnet... she was being mean to me!"  
Rita held her tounge. She guessed it was better that he did. All sorts of words just waiting to come out of her mouth and fling themselves at Sweetie were running through her head.  
Garnet sighed again, looking at Lady Pidgeot. "Ever since you arrived here, your members have caused a lot of trouble. There have been several fights, and it's ruining the schedule, and my time."  
Lady Pidgeot lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Garnet. I-"  
"Sorry isn't what I'm looking for. This is a high-class place I'm running here."  
Lady Pidgeot lifted hr head, her eyes showing challenge. "The Rescue Camp is high-class, also!" she announced. "At least... it was...But it's being rebuilt!"  
"I realize that," Garnet started. "It's an honor to have you here, and it's an honor to have a world-reowned rescuer like Rae here... And I unerstand you've been through a lot.. but..."  
"What are you getting at?" Rita asked, surprised at herself for being so demanding.  
"After the tournament, I'll have to ask you and your members to leave."  
Lady Pidgeot's eyes widened. "WHAT?! We have no where to go!"  
"I'm sorry, but that's _not _my problem. Your members are setting a bad example for mine. It was especially irritating when that Vulpix of yours jumped out that window. Do you know what kind of image that puts in other's heads?"  
Lady Pidgeot was silent.  
Rita could feel her eyes tearing up. How dare he talk crap about Vicky! "Vicky was a great Pokemon!" she shouted at Garnet. "She was depressed! One of her team members that she was really close to sacrificed herself to save her!" She glared at Garnet. "You have no idea, do you?" she challenged. "You have no idea what it's like to witness a death, knowing you could have prevented it?"  
Dew frowned. "Rita..."  
Garnet scowled. "I don't need this. I am the leader here." He pointed at the door. "You may leave. Sweetie, I want you here."  
Sweetie smiled what Rita thought was an ugly smile. "Yes, Garnet."  
Scowling, Rita stood up and exited with Dew and Lady Pidgeot. When the door closed behind them, she looked up at Lady Pidgeot. "I had no idea he was such a jerk."  
Lady Pidgeot frowned. "Don't say that, Rita. He can probably still here you." She pointed towards the exit. "Get back to the tournament now, okay?"  
Rita sighed, glancing at the television. There was another battle. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see who it was. Emerald and Ruby were announcing everything in high, fangirl-like voices. She frowned as she watched Ten finnish off Sapphire, but was somewhat delighted that a member of Sweetie's team was beaten. Her and Dew made their way towards the PokeGirl22 room.  
As they both arrived in the room, Ruby's voice blared from the TV's speakers. "And our next battle will be Plasma VS Smoke!" she squealed.  
Rita searched for Smoke, wondering what Mightyena had done with him. Relief rippled through her body when she spotted him sitting on a bench. Except, he was next to Mightyena.  
_What's going on?_  
Mightyena whispered something in Smoke's ear.  
Smoke nodded, then proceeded to GET UP FROM the bench and make his way towards the door. As he started past her, she stopped him.  
"What are you doing with Mightyena?" she whispered. "It's weird..."  
Smoke didn't even meet her gaze. He pulled his arm/leg free and continued towards the door.  
Rita heard Plasma sigh.  
"That's just great. I have to battle Grumpy.." She looked towards the door. "Well, I'm off!" She punched Rita's leg as she walked by.  
Rita twitched her ears, looking back at Mightyena. She made her way towards him, pushing her face an inch from his. "What have you done to Smoke?!" she snarled.  
"A little personal space, please," Mightyena said, taking his paw and pushing Rita's face away. "And _I_ haven't done anything." He smirked. "I guess he just doesn't like you anymore."  
"You did something!" she growled. "If you don't tell me-" Ruby's high pitched voice cut her off.  
"Well, Smoke isn't doing anything as Plasma is attacking him? What's happening?!"  
Rita turned her head towards the TV. Plasma was reluctantly using electric moves on Smoke, while Smoke stood motionless.  
Night sighed from behind Mightyena. "Mightyena, what did you tell him to do? Just sit there?"  
Rita turned on him. "What does she mean, 'What did you tell him to do'?" she challenged. "What did you do?!"  
Mightyena shrugged. "Figure it out."  
Growling, Rita lunged at him, but was stopped by someone grabbing her from behind.  
"Don't be so rude, Lilac," Ten's voice hissed in her ear. He threw her to the side, where she immeadiatley stood up.  
"You're a part of this too, aren't you?" she growled at Ten.  
Suddenly, Ten looked somewhat nervous. He glanced to the side. "Figure it out," he huffed, then looked back at her. "Lilac."  
Rita sighed. "You know I'm not Lilac!"  
"But you _are!_" Ten persisted. He grabbed her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Please stop pretending!" he said, his eyes suddenly filled with saddness. "If we could just be partners again, I'd stop this craziness I got involved in! I hate hurting you, I really do..."  
Rita stared at him. So he _was _involved with Mightyena and PokeGirl22?!  
"If hurting you is the only way to get you back, I'll continue!" he continued.  
Rita broke free of his grip. "I'm not Lilac," she hissed.  
Ten glared at her, his eye's saddness replaced with anger. "Then I'll break you until you are."  
Rita flattened her ears, glancing back at Mightyena, who seemed to be enjoying the whole thing. _What a freak. I'm certain the Pokemon we're searching for isn't him. _She glanced back at the TV.  
Plasma stood in front of Smoke, staring at him. She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hey! Wake up!"  
Rita heard Crobat growl. "She's so stupid! It's probably an act and he'll suddenly attack her!"  
Rita's eyes widened. Was Plasma in danger? Rita gasped at Smoke suddenly moved, simply lifting his paw in the air.  
There seemed to be a silence long silence. Rita hoped it was just a sick joke and the old Smoke would suddenly come back and say something silly like, "I volunteer as tribute".  
Instead, he simply said, "I forfiet," And that was the end of it.  
Rita, confused but relieved that Plasma was okay, looked back at Mightyena. "What was that?!"  
Mightyena seemed just as confused. His confusion was suddenly replaced with anger. "I don't know," he growled. "We gave him different orders. His orders were to be the same thing Crobat predicted."  
Rita rose to her feet. "So you DID tell him to do something!" the Delcatty hissed, finally blocking out Ruby and Emerald's girlish voices.  
"Shut up!" he snapped. He looked at Ten, tilting his head to the direction of the exit.  
Ten nodded, then the two left the room.  
Rita started after them. "I'm not done with you!" As she aproached[?] the door, she was stopped by someone's hand on her shoulder.  
"Don't bother," Moon told her quietly. "They disappear too quickly."  
Rita was surprised that the one who stopped her was Moon. The small Clefairy was her friend, but they hadn't exactly spoken recently. She turned towards her. "Thanks..." Rita looked towards the door. "I'm gonna go for a walk..."  
"Do you want me to come with you?"  
"No, I'm fine." Rita smiled at the Clefairy, then left the room. She finally arrived in the hallway with the mirror that had cracked, but it seemed fine now. A TV blared behind her as Emerald's high voice announced the next competetors. She stared at it, half expecting her reflection to disappear or something. She began to think about Lilligant. _How long will it be before I see her again? How is everything in the spirit world...? _She leaned her forehead against the wall and let out a deep sigh. _I'm tired... _She had no idea when her next match was, but a little nap wouldn't hurt... would it? It would be strange napping in the hallway, but she didn't care. She slid to the ground, and closed her eyes.  
She was in a dark room. No light shone around her. She was completely enveloped in darkness.  
"Hello?" she called out. Her voice didn't even echo.  
It was a long silence before she heard another voice. "Is anyone there?!" it called. It seemed directly infront of her.  
_Should I move forward?_  
Rita tried to move her front paw, but something was blocking her way. _A wall?_ She pushed on it, but it didn't budge. _I can't see anything... _She sighed again. Suddenly, her ears perked up. _I'm in a dream! _If it was her dream, she could control it. She concentrated, willing the wall to disappear. After a minute or so, the wall in front of her must have disappeared, because behind where the wall was stood Lilligant.  
Her eyes widened as she saw Rita. "R-Rita?!" she started to tear up. "I can't believe I actually got through!"  
_Lilligant?! _"W-What happened?"  
Lilligant pointed to the space the wall was in. "_He _put that there so I can't talk to you."  
"He?" Rita shook her head. "I have so much to tell you!"  
"And I do aswell, but we need to make it quick!" Lilligant urged. "He'll be here any minute to check on the barrier[PokeGirl22]."  
Rita nodded. A sudden hope filled her heart. _Things might be okay! _She took a deep breath. "A tournament started. Ten wants to destroy me. Smoke is being controlled by Mightyena, I think, and Rae I think is the ma-"  
"Slow down," Lilligant soothed. "Smoke is being... controlled?" She nodded to herself. "I think I... know the source of that..."  
Rita's eyes widened. "Y-You do?!"  
Lilligant nodded again. "It's just a theory. First, tell me what you need to tell me."  
The Delcatty nodded. "The last thing is... Vicky... is dead..."  
Lilligant seemed stunned by the news. She down, shaking her head. "No, no... she can't be..." She looked back at Rita. "If she was we would have seen her here... with the rest of us..."  
Rita was confused. "Then where is she?"  
Lilligant shrugged. "It's possible that she is stuck on your world still, because of... unfinished business..." She sighed. "Chance will not be happy one bit..." She looked back at Rita. "But I have something you need to know. It's about the five from the human world..."  
"Yes," Rita agreed. "We've already figured it out. We need to search for the other Pokemon from the human world..."  
Lilligant smiled. "You guys are smart. Have you figured out who the two are, yet?"  
"Two!?" Rita asked. "I-We thought... we only needed to find one more, to make up for Vicky. Rae's the fifth, isn't he?"  
Lilligant nodded. "Rae _was _the fifth. But, he's not exactly what I'd call 'Saving The World' material."  
Rita's paws itched with impatience. "So we need to find _two _Pokemon?! That's impossible!"  
"Don't fret," Lilligant soothed. "I know who one of them is. But after I tell you, you have to accept it and the hurry and find the other because it's already chapter twenty and you all need to get your asses on the road!"  
Rita nodded. "Okay. Tell me!"  
Lilligant looked straight at her. "One of them is Mightyena."  
Rita didn't fully understand what she just said. It took her a while to process the data. "MIGHTYENA?!" she spat. "He's working with Rae! He's evil! He's not from the human world!" she shouted. "Is this some kind of joke? How do you know this?!"  
Lilligant sighed. "I heard Him and Rae talking earlier. He was talking to Rae about Mightyena and his team, muttering about they can't be trusted and finally-"  
"Wait, who is Him?" Rita asked. And how the hell would Rae be able to come to the Spirit World?!"  
"You come to the Spirit World when you talk to me, don't you? This _is _indeed your dream, but it's also the Spirit World."  
_This doesn't make sense..._  
"'Him' is the one who's taken control of the Spirit World," Lilligant continued. "We call him Him or He, because we don't know what he is or what he looks like... just his voice." She looked behind herself, then back at Rita. "He told Rae that he had recently discovered that Mightyena is in fact one of you guys. Rae already knew he was of the human world, but he had no idea his destiny was intertwined with yours."  
Rita took in a breath. "So, Rae is most likely buddy-buddy with Him and Mightyena is one of us?"  
Lilligant nodded. "Not only that... I think PokeGirl22 _is _Rae... I mean... it's like they're the same person... but not."  
Rita shook her head. "Whatever. Tell me about Smoke. What's controlling him?" _There's no way Mightyena is one of us. He's evil! How would we get him on our side, anyway?! He's think we were insane. And how would Jet and Rici react to this?!_  
"Smoke is being controlled by Him. I heard Him and Rae talking about that, too. So is another Rescue Camp member, I believe."  
_I bet they aren't the only ones. _Rita sipped her head. "Thank you."  
Lilligant's smile made her face look prettier than it was. "You're welcome. Good luck." She pointed at her face. "Hurry up and find the fifth Pokemon! PokeGirl22 is waiting for you guys to straighten up and get on with the story!"  
Rita nodded, determined.  
A voice sounded behind Lilligant.  
"The barrier broke!" it growled.  
Lilligant gasped. "It's Him! Rita get out of here!"  
"H-How do I wake up?!" Rita stuttered. "And I can't leave you!"  
"LILLIGANT!" he shouted. The voice sounded closer.  
"Uh..." Rita tried to focus on the physical world. She suddenly felt herself drifting away from Lilligant. Rita was fading this time, not Lilligant.  
As she faded, her eyes widened in terror as what appeared to be a barrier appeared back in front of her. But, she didn't fade it time to not hear Lilligant's blood-curtling scream.  
"Next we have Rita VS Embeeeaaaarrrrrlllll!" Emerald squealed.  
Rita's eyes opened. _What just happened?_ She hoped with all her heart that it was just a nighmare, but her heart wasn't stupid enough to believe that it was fake. She knew what Lilligant had told her was real, and that He probably got her and she'd probably never see Lilligant again. Feeling disappointed, she hurried to the arena. _Who's Embearl? _She entered the arena, where applause and screeches rang in her ears. She was too busy staring at the huge crowd to notice the change in the arena floor. Looking down, she realized with surprise that the whole arena ground was now covered with water, and she was on a small island in the middle. Looking behind her, she watched the path she had walked on sink underwater. Letting out a sigh, she waited for her opponent to come. It was a while before Rita spotted someone run up to Ruby and whisper something to her.  
Ruby nodded, then started to speak. "Well, it looks like we have a change in plans!" she announced. "This round has been tweaked just a _tiny _bit!" The green Espeon smiled. "Instead of Embearl fighting Rita, we have Sweetie from Team Sweet!"  
The crowd erupted into hoots and whistles.  
_Tsk. That freak must be popular. _Rita hated the thought of seeing Sweetie again, but it just determined her to pound her face to a pulp. _I'm not jealous of her and Jet... She's just a stupid flirt. _  
Sweetie hopped into the arena, blowing kisses and waving to the crowd. The path she walked on disappeared as well.  
Rita glared at her, keeping on a scowl as Sweetie danced around for the crowd. A couple times she thought she heard, "That Decatty doesn't stand a chance!" But that just pissed her off even more. Her paws itched for the battle to start as the water splashed against her little circular island.  
Sweetie threw a fake, devious smile at Rita. "I'll try not to hurt you too bad, okay hun?" she called.  
"BEGIN!" Emerald commanded.  
Rita wasn't ready. In a flash, Sweetie lunged at her, hitting her with what Rita guessed was dizzy punch.  
_Tch! This could cause me to become confused. _Rita countered with double slap, hoping she was hitting the ugly bunny.  
"That won't harm me, hun!" a voice called from above her.  
Rita's head shot up, but it was too late as Sweetie slammed down on her with bounce.  
Rita was hurled into the water, skimming the surface and banging the back of her head against Sweetie's island.  
The crowd roared.  
"SWEETIEEEE!" voices shrieked.  
"GO SWEETIE!"  
"HOLY POKEGIRL22!"  
Rita spit water out of her mouth, and glared at Sweetie. Why was she suddenly so strong?  
Sweetie giggled. "You're pretty weak, hun! I expected to to actually be a match for me."  
A growl rumbled in Rita's throat. Pulling herself out of the water and on to Sweetie's island, she fired blizzard at her.  
Sweetie easily dodged with spine chilling speed. "You're pathetic!"  
Rita looked around. What could she use to her advantage? There had to be _something_! Rita felt the wind get knocked out of her as Sweetie used bounce again. Standing up, Sweetie moved away from Rita.  
Rita stood up as well, using thunderbolt on Sweetie.  
Once again, Sweetie dodged.  
_Wait! _Rita looked back at the water. _If I can just get Sweetie in the water... _She looked back at Sweetie. _How would I do that though?! Or maybe... _She looked down at the water dripping from her pelt. _I can bring the water to her! _Rita dove in the water, holding her breath. Her head reappeared at the surface, and she began splashing water on to the island until every inch of it was covered in water.  
Sweetie grinned. "You're weird. I can't wait to finally defeat you, hun." charged towards Rita, and Rita released thunderbolt.  
Sweetie strode to the side. "That won't work on me, h-" She was completely cut off as the electricity from Rita's thunderbolt zapped her. As the yellow electricity faded, Sweetie fell to the floor of the island, unconscience.  
Rita smiled in delight as she heard the crowd gasp, and pulled herself out of the water. She walked up to Sweetie, mimicking her voice. "Sorry you have terrible defense, hun."  
"And the winner is... Rita."  
Rita heard Garnet's voice this time. She didn't like Garnet anymore since he notified them that they'd have to leave after the tournament, but she was glad that Ruby and Emerald's voices wouldn't be murdering her ears anymore. A picture of herself appeared on the screen. Smiling to herself, she left.  
Everyone congradulated her as she arrived back in the room. Except for Smoke. She looked around for her partner, but he was no where to be seen. "Where's Smoke?" she asked Plasma.  
Plasma shrugged. "I dunno." She looked worried. "What's up with him? Forfieting[?] like that..." The Emolga put her hands behind her head. "What a weirdo."  
Rita grinned. She wasn't sure if she should tell her friend that Smoke is being controlled.  
_Wait! I still need to tell Jet and Rici about... Mightyena... _She looked back at Plasma. "Where's Jet?"  
Plasma chuckled, closing her eyes. "You and him are just so adorable."  
Rita narrowed her eyes. "You sound like Dew."  
"I've been taking lessons."  
_Tsk. _She needed something to defend herself with. "Yeah? Well you and..." She looked around for someone that she might be afflicated with. "You and Crobat are just perfect for each other."  
Plasma opened her eyes. "That's disgusting, Rita!"  
"Where's Jet?" Rita asked again, grinning.  
Plasma sighed. "He went to talk to Rici about somethin'."  
Rita punched her shoulder. "Thanks."  
She headed off towards The Game's home floor, then towards the glass elevator. _Will they believe me when I tell them that the fourth Pokemon is Mightyena? They'll think I'm crazy!_  
Rita arrived on the floor where all the Rescue Camp members were staying. Heading towards Rici's room she felt uneasy. _Is something... watching me? _  
She whipped her head around at the sound of pawsteps. _Tch. I'm starting to question my own sanity..._ She continued down the hall, but stopped at the sound of pawsteps again. Even when she stopped, they continued.  
"Who's there?!" she hissed.  
The pawsteps stopped, and again Rita felt like she was being watched. Trying to shrug off the feeling, she continued to Rici's room. She turned the doorknob, and entered.  
Jet and Rici's heads both poked up and stared at her.  
"Rita!" Jet greeted. "Afternoon!"  
_What, no 'Congrats on beating Sweetie'?_  
"What do you need?" Rici asked blankly.  
Rita closed the door behind her. "It's about the fourth Pokemon... and how we have to find the fifth."  
"Fifth?" Rici asked. He sighed. "Great. Just what we needed."  
"How do you know this?" Jet questioned her.  
Rita explained what Lilligant had told her about there being two Pokemon they needed to find, making up for Vicky and Rae.  
Jet nodded. "That makes sense." He then sighed. "That means we need to find two Pokemon..."  
Rita shook her head. "Lilligant told me who the fourth was."  
Rici's ears perked up. "Who is it?"  
Jet nodded. "We'll need to notify them ASAP."  
Rita's eyes drifted down. "You're not gonna like it..."  
"It can't be that bad," Jet reassured her.  
The Delcatty shook her head. "It can."  
Rici and Jet both tilted their heads, and Rita could sense they were waiting for her to speak. She took in a breath, lifting up her chin. "It's Mightyena," she breathed out.  
Jet was the first to speak. "You're kidding." He shook his head. "We don't have time for jokes, Rita. The world is-"  
"It's true!" Rita shouted. "Lilligant _told _me! She heard Him and Rae talking about it. _He_ said that Team Shade couldn't be trusted! He said that Mightyena was one of us, and would betray him!"  
"It must have been a dream," Rici sighed. "And if it is Mightyena, why would he listen to us?"  
Rita shrugged, a tad annoyed. "I know it's true! Please trust me!"  
Jet and Rici were both quiet for a moment.  
Jet sighed. "Alright." He smiled. "I trust you, Rita."  
"I guess I have no choice then." Rici looked from Jet to Rita. "When do we alert Mightyena?"  
"ASAP." The silver Floatzel stood up. "And we need to get down there soon anyway. We don't have any idea when our battles start." His eyes darted to Rici. "Besides him."  
Rici rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Am I coming with you guys?"  
Jet nodded, but then darted his eyes to the ground. "Eh, but could you go on ahead? I need to talk to Rita about something..."  
Rici let out a huff. "Something that doesn't involve me?"  
Jet shrugged.  
Rici rolled his eyes again. "Figures. See ya." He started down the hall, but then turned around once, narrowing his eyes in suspicion, before continuing. The sound of the elevator going down confirmed that he had left.  
Rita looked up at Jet. "Yeeeees?"  
Jet's face flushed red as he darted his eyes to the side. "Uh... How do I put this?" he laughed. He looked down at the ground, his twin tails twitching.  
Rita raised one eyebrow.  
Jet met her gaze again. "I've been holding it back for so long, it's driving me nuts." He shuffled his hands. "Eh...Dew's been prodding me to tell you, also..."  
_Well? Continue? _Rita wondered what it could be that was taking him so long. They needed to hurry down to the arena and tell Mightyena.  
Jet looked her straight in the eyes. "Eh...Rita, I really li-"  
"JJJJJEEEEEEETTTTTT!" a voice screeched from the end of the hallway, cutting him off.  
Rita pricked her ears in annoyance. She knew that ugly scream.  
Sweetie came rushing down the hallway, arriving next to Jet and latching on to his arm. "JET! JET!" she screeched. She cast a glare at Rita. "What are you doing with _her_?"  
Jet looked over at Sweetie, wrenching his arm free only to have Sweetie grasp it again. He sighed. "Ahoy, Sweetie. What can I do for you?"  
Sweetie started crying what Rita knew were fake tears, but they seemed so convincing.  
_Stupid drama queen... She must have practiced this a lot._  
"Oh Jet, it was terrible!" she cried. "For my second round battle, I fought _her_!" she cried.  
Jet raised one eyebrow. "So who won?"  
"She did! But she _cheated_," Sweetie said. She took in a breath. "I saw her reorganizing the tournament papers so she'd face _me _so she could beat me up." She narrowed her eyes. "She was originally supposed to battle Embearl."  
"What?!" Rita shouted. "That's a lie!"  
"And it gets worse, Jet, it gets worse!" Sweetie desribed a scenario where Rita 'showed no mercy' towards her and beat her up in the water, attempting to drown her, and finally spitting on her when she won. Rita knew it was fake, but Sweetie made it sound so _real _that Rita almost believed it herself.  
Jet turned to Rita. "Is that true? You're not like that, Rita."  
Rita's face flushed in anger. "Of course it's not true! She's lying!"  
"What?" Sweetie asked. "So you're denying it now? Garnet even has the recording!"  
"How can he have the recording if it didn't happen?" Rita challenged.  
"Hun, it did happen! I just wanted to be your friend.." She gave a fake cry. "And you go and wrong me like that!"  
"But it _didn't_!" Rita looked towards Jet. "She's lying!"  
Jet looked down at her. "I've known you for years-" he cut himself off. "I assume... And I never knew you were like that. If I knew you were like _that _then I never would have li-" He cut himself off again.  
"She's mean, Jet," Sweetie pressed. "Don't bother with her." She slipped her hand down to Jet's.  
Jet shrugged, giving a half-smile. "I should have expected it. There have been a lot of unexpected things lately." He grasped Sweetie's paw. "I'll see you down there, Rita, so we can alert Mightyena."  
Sweetie's face turned red. "I'll come with you, Jettily!" She smiled. As they turned to go, she turned her head around and stuck her tounge out at Rita. "I'll see you, hun."  
_What just... happened? _Rita stared after them. "Wait, Jet!" she called. "What did you wanna tell me?"  
He stopped and turned around, Sweetie's paw still in his. He let out a sigh. "Forget it, Rita. I'll see you at the arena." They both turned back around and continued down the hallway. The sound of the elevator confirmed they were gone.  
Rita stared after them, even after they left. _Why does he believe _her_?! Why doesn't he believe me?! Does he like Sweetie? She's such a liar! Why is she always butting in?! _She felt her eyes tear up. _I'm not jealous... I'm not jealous... I'm not jealous... _She made a choking sound as a tear slipped down her cheek. _It's not that I'm jealous... it's just that she's such a flirt...! I'm not jealous... I don't like him that way... I'm not jealous... _Another tear slipped down her cheek.  
_I'm jealous..._


	22. 21:Tension Rising:Mightyena's Real Name?

Rae heaved a sigh. The tournament was beginning to get _extremely _boring. The huge Raichu sat slumped over in his chair placed beside Lady Pidgeot, his head resting in his paw. _Tch... I wonder what Gengar's up to... _He thought about what Gengar had said earlier about Mightyena becoming a traitor. _Psh... Thats preposterous. He may be from the human world, but he's not like them. Besides... _He sat up straight. _Rici is the fourth, and I'm the fifth. Just because Vicky's gone doesn't mean that she can be replaced. _This reassured him as he turned his head back to the battle in front of him. Prinplup from Team Star was getting badly beaten by Chaz, a Charmeleon from The Game.

_Gengar's plan really is working. Prinplup's water attacks are having no effect on Chaz at all. They should be dealing _mega _damage. _

"And the winner is Chaz!" Garnet announced.

_I'm glad I don't have to listen to those two screech anymore. _He darted his eyes towards Emerald and Ruby. _Especially Emerald. She has the worst of the two... _He stared at Emerald. _She should be put in jail for being too happy. _

Suddenly, Rae felt Gengar's presence again.

_She should be dead, shouldn't she? _Gengar asked

He continued to stare at Emerald.

_Haha... What it would be like to have her limp body at my feet... covered in gashes... _His mouth switched into a sadistic grin. "Ha ha... ha..." A fantasy went through his head where her high pitched voice slowly choked away, from being choked.

Lady Pidgeot eyed him from the corner of her eye. "You okay, Rae?"

Rae snapped back into reality, Gengar's presence fading. "Never better, M'lady!" He looked up at her and smiled.

She happily smiled back, which sent shivers down Rae's spine.

_I'll strangle you._

He looked back towards the arena, his smile fading into an angry frown. _I hate this act. Gengar needs to stop messing with me, and hurry up on getting Arceus hypnotized._  
The huge Raichu heaved a sigh as he watched Mightyena enter the arena for his next match. _This is boring. I don't want to look at Mightyena right now, anyway. _He stood up, yawning and stretching her arms above his head.  
Lady Pidgeot raised an eyebrow. "Tired?"  
Rae glanced her from the corner of his eye. "A bit. Got up pretty early today." His arms flopped down by his side. "I'm gonna go get something to eat." His gaze emotionless strayed straight ahead.  
"Lunch isn't for another two hours," the golden Pidgeot pointed out. "I don't think we're allowed in the kitchen, either."  
He rolled his eyes. Like rules mattered. "I'm _Rae, _M'lady. I'm sure they'll make an exception." He gave a half-hearted chuckle. He started down the stairs, opening the small green door that resided at the bottom. Arriving in the white hallway, he started down it, but stoppe when he heard voices coming from in front of the arena waiting room. He immediatley recognized one of the voices as Jet, the other voice unknown to him. It was high pitched and feminine; annoying.  
Rae shuffled alone the wall of the hallway, peering at the two Pokemon. The female was a Lopunny. He recognized her as Sweetie, the annoying rabbit Rita had battled earlier. She was latched on to Jet's arm.  
"Don't worry, Jetty, I have a friend going to talk to Rita now!" Sweetie cooed.  
Jet glanced up at her. "As mad as I am at her right now, I kind of need her for something."  
Sweetie crossed her arms, scowling. "Why do you want to talk to her? She's _rude. _She nearly _drowned _me!"  
Rae rolled his eyes. _Stupid girl drama. _It was nice to hear that Rita and Jet were fighting, but he honestly didn't want to hear about it. He started down the hall again, but what Jet said caught his attention.  
"I need to talk to Mightyena about something," he replied. "And I know." He shrugged. "But you gotta do what you gotta do." He grinned stupidly.  
Sweetie tilted her head. "What do you need to talk to Mightyena about?"  
_Yes, what _do _you need to talk to him about? _  
The silver Floatzel shrugged, letting out a sigh. "If I told you it would just sound confusing."  
Sweetie smiled what Rae recognized as fake. "Aww, Jetty, you can tell me _anything_!" she cooed, then hesitated. "I mean, unless you don't trust me..." she added, giving a fake sulk.  
Jet half-grinned. "Well, it's really complicated, so I'll just put it simply. Me, Rita, and Rici are part of a _group_ that's very important," he explained. "And, well, eh... Victoria, that Vulpix, was part of it as well, but since she's gone, she's been replaced by Mightyena."  
Rae's ears twitched back. _That's not true. _He stared at Sweetie. Jet seemed somewhat interested in her. It seemed somewhat odd to him, because he always had the impression that he had a crush on Rita. _Hypnotizing Sweetie could get us useful information... _He straightened up. _Time to barge in on their conversation! _  
Rae stepped into the area they were talking. He cast a fake smile at Jet. "Nice to see you, buddy!" He looked from Sweetie, back to him. "Cheating on Rita, are we?" He didn't wait for the reply before he walked towards Sweetie. "I need to speak with you," he lied.  
Sweetie giggled. "Rae wants to speak with _me_?" She looked back at Jet. "I hope you don't mind, hun!"  
Jet glared at Rae. "Actually, I do mind. Rae should be in his chair in the arena."  
_I can't wait to destroy you. _Rae gave a fake smile. "I need to speak with Sweetie. It's pretty important."  
Jet shrugged, then looked at Sweetie. "Be careful."  
Sweetie threw her arms around him. "Don't worry boo, Rae's a good fella!" She smiled at Rae. "I'm coming~!"

Rita stood in the corner of the waiting room, shuffling her paws. Others constantly asked her what was wrong, but she knew she couldn't say without giving away her feelings for Jet.  
_I hate Sweetie. That damned freak. I hate her. _Only one thing kept running through her mind; _Revenge. _She looked around for Mightyena. She had no idea where Jet was. _Probably somewhere making out with Sweetie... _  
Her eyes drifted around the room, taking in the images of all the different Pokemon.  
"And the winner is Umbreon!"  
Rita stared blankly at the screen. Flower had lost.  
"Rita?"  
Rita turned her head at the sound of her brother's voice.  
He had his usual dazed look on his face. "I don't want to be down here too long. Where's Mightyena?"  
She shrugged. "He got done his battle a while ago. He should be here soon."  
"A'ight." Rici leaned against the wall. He turned his head towards Rita. "Is something bothering you? What did Jet want to talk to you about?"  
Rita turned her head to the ground. "I don't know. He left before he had a chance to tell me."  
Rici lifted one eyebrow, before his eyes drifted somewhere else. "There's Mightyena."  
Rita turned towards where his eyes were resting. "Okay..." She sighed. "Lets go talk to him."  
Rici leading, the two headed towards Mightyena, who shot them an unhappy look as they neared.  
"What do you want?" he growled.  
Rici exchanged a look with Rita. "We need to talk to you."  
Mightyena tilted his head, smirking. "I thought you hated talking to me."  
"We do, mutt, but it's important."  
Rita didn't turn around. She felt her cheeks burn red. _I don't want to see him._  
"What's so important that you need to speak to _me_?" Mightyena narrowed his eyes.  
Ten appeared next to him, glaring at Rita. "Leave, unless you wanna get hurt."  
Mightyena silenced him by putting his tail over his mouth. "What do you need to talk about."  
"Our current relationship," Jet replied sarcastically. "No, we'll tell you later. Get in the hallway."  
"Don't order me around." Mightyena stepped towards the door.  
Ten started to follow, but Rici cut him off. "We'd like to speak to him _alone._"  
The Weavile rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Don't do anything gross."  
Rici sighed, then followed Mightyena out the door.  
Rita quickly glanced at Jet. She nudged towards him. "I didn't do anything!" she whispered. "Sweetie's _lying_!"  
Jet scowled at her. "Stop trying to turn this around on her," he hissed. "Don't talk to me."  
Rita's gaze drifted to the ground as they walked down the hallway. She then looked back up at Jet, her face hot.  
He gazed down at her. "What?"  
"Do you like Sweetie?"  
Jet was quiet for a moment. "Yes."  
Rita felt like her heart had been wrenched out of her chest. So he did like her. Jealousy hit her like a bolt of lightning.  
"So what do you want?" Mightyena asked.  
Jet ignored Rita's look of pain. "We'll put it simply. There used to be five of us," he explained. "Me, Rici, Victoria, Rae..." He shifted his eyes towards Rita. "And _her._" He shrugged. "Eh, Victoria is.. gone... and Rae is a phycopathic freak." He grinned. "So we need to find the two others, which are most likely Pokemon from the human world."  
Something flashed through Mightyena's eyes. "Your... Your point?"  
"You're from the human world, aren't you?" Rici cut in.  
Mightyena took a step back. "W-What? No..."  
"You're lying," Rita pointed out, still hurt.  
Mightyena rolled his eyes. "Honestly. You humans are crazy. Even if I was from the human world, what would that serve you guys?"  
"You're the fourth one of us," Jet said blankly. Shrugging, he stared at the Mightyena. "Kinda ironic, eh? We're enemies, yet we have to be _friends _now..."  
Mightyena shook his head. "I hate humans. There's no way I'd _ever _join you. I hate all three of you." His eyes drifted to Rici. "Except you, you never did anything, but still."  
Rita took a step forward. "You're one of us."  
"How do you know?" Mightyena challenged.  
"Lilligant told me. She's my guardian."  
Mightyena scoffed. "What does Lilligant know?"  
"She overheard Rae and _Him_ talking about you." She grinned. "_He _said that you are one of us, and that you and Team Shade can't be trusted."  
"Well, duh, Crobat and Night are a couple of traitors," he sneered. "Just because I'm from the human world doesn't mean I'm one of _you_."  
"So you admit it, then?" Jet questioned, and gave a JOLLY laugh.  
PokeGirl22 shuffled his paws, glancing to the side and scowling. "I wish I wasn't."  
"Why do you hate humans?" Rici asked. "What did we ever do to you?"  
Mightyena flattened his ears. "None of your business."  
"Well," Jet started. "You're one of us so now you're part of our _oh-so-happy _friendship circle." He cast a glance at Rita. "And there are no secrets in our circle of friendship."  
"As _close _as we may be, I'm not your _friend_," Mightyena growled. "And I would _never _join together with _humans._"  
"Why do you hate humans so much?" Rici asked again.  
"That is still not your business." Mightyena narrowed his eyes. "I'm leaving." As he turned to leave, Jet grabbed him.  
"We're not messing around," Jet said, his tone showing irritation. "We don't care if you don't want to join us. Time is running out and we're running out of options." He stepped in front of him, blocking his way back to the arena's waiting room. "You join us willingly, or I'll force you." He grinned. "I'll beat you like I did before."  
Mightyena frowned. "I've gotton better. I let you win last time. I will _not _join you. I am faithful to Rae, no matter what _He _says about me."  
"Still don't care. We can't do this alone." Jet smiled. "Whether you, or _anyone else_," he started, casting a glance at Rita. "Like it or not, we're going to be one big happy family," he finished.  
A silence filled the air.  
"Now," Jet started again. "You are going to tell us the reason you hate humans."  
"You can't force me to do anything," Mightyena growled, flicking his tail.  
"Yes we can." Jet inched closer to Mightyena, his eyes showing anger. "It's three against one. You can't win if we fight."  
Mightyena laughed. "You're going to _fight _me so I can tell you why I hate humans?" He stuck his nose in the air, grinning. "Alright, I'll tell you. Because humans are filthy, selfish creatures that only care about themselves, and completely abandon everything else."  
"Great," Jet replied sarcastically. "Now tell us the real reason."  
"That is the real reason." Mightyena looked down at him. "What, expected something more dramatic?"  
"A bit, yes." The silver Floatzel shrugged. "I'm sure that's not your whole story." He narrowed his eyes. "Somehow you ended up here. The only reason I can think of is because you're with us."  
"Or," Mightyena added, "To help Rae destroy the humans."  
"Were you in a storm when you died?" Rita asked.  
Mightyena flattened his ears. "How did you know?"  
Rita looked at Rici. "It was probably the same storm we were in!"  
"That doesn't mean I'm on your side."  
"Did you drown?" Rita asked. Mightyena probably died the same way they did!  
"...Yes." Mightyena glared at Rita. "Lots of people drown every year. It's not unnatural."  
"Were you on a boat?" Rici asked Mightyena. "Like, a medium sized one?"  
Mightyena's expression turned to confusion. "What? No. I dashed into the ocean."  
Jet laughed. "Why would you do that in the middle of a storm?"  
Mightyena swung his head to the side. "I was angry, okay? I wasn't thinking straight."  
Jet rested his chin on his paw. "An why sir, were you angry? Who were you angry at?"  
Mightyena growled. "My trainer."  
Rita's eyes widened. Mightyena had a trainer?  
Mightyena looked at Rita's surprised face. "What, surprised?" He gave a fake gasp. "Believe it or not, I had a life!"  
"What did your trainer do? What was their name?"  
Rita rolled her eyes. Jet was acting like a therapist.  
"This isn't a therapy session," Mightyena hissed. "Collin was a traitor that abandoned me for a girl. There."  
_He was abandoned? _Rita felt somewhat bad.  
Jet's expression turned sympathetic.  
"Don't take pity on me!" he sneered. "I'm happy the way I am."  
"I'm sure you are," Jet replied sarcastically. "Did he really abandon you?"  
"I-Its what I believe. We were stuck in the house for weeks-"  
"_We_?" Rici cut in. "Who was with you?"  
"A friend," Mightyena replied quietly. "She died of starvation."  
An awkward silence filled the air.  
"Did he _really _abandon you?" Jet pressed. "What if he came back, and you were gone?"  
Mightyena looked surprised. "He..." He looked to the side. "If he was going to come back, he would of came back by then."  
"How do you know there wasn't an accident?"  
_Getting his hopes up... It's cruel... _Rita's eyes drifted to the floor. _But it may be the only way to get him to join us._  
"An accident?" Mightyena frowned. "Please."  
"You know," Jet explained. "Like a car crash, broken arm..." He gazed at Mightyena. "Things like that may delay someone."  
Mightyena was quiet. Rita wondered what was going through his mind.  
Finally, Mightyena spoke. "I'll think about it." With that, he pushed past Jet, making his way back to the arena's waiting room.  
Jet shrugged. "Better than nothin', eh?" He glanced back at Rita and Rici, not meeting Rita's gaze. "See ya later."  
Rita watched as the silver Floatzel walked away. _I didn't do anything..._  
Rici yawned. "I'm going back up to my room." He started down the other end of the hallway, but paused to look back. "Good luck." He continued forward.  
_Good luck. _She wondered which situation he meant.

Rita silently cheered Vapor on as the Vaporeon entered the arena.  
"Hey. Hey. Hey!"  
Rita was growing annoyed of Dew's voice.  
"Stop ignoring me!" Dew demanded. "Rita. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey."  
Rita felt multiple pokes bloom across her back.  
"Hey. Hey. Hey," he said with each poke. "Hey. PokeGirl22. Hey. Hey. Rita!"  
Rita whipped around. "What is _so _important?" she snapped.  
Dew crossed his arms, turning his head to the side. "You don't have to be so rude." He looked back at her, a playful glint in his eye. "So..." he started, narrowing his eyes and smirking. "Did Jetty tell you any... _certain things _yet?"  
Rita flattened her ears. "He doesn't even want to speak to me. He thinks I beat up Sweetie."  
Dew tilted his head. "Why does he think that?"  
"Sweetie's a good liar..."  
Dew slapped a hand on her shoulder, grinning. "I'll talk to him for ya! We can't have your relationship getting messed up."  
Rita scowled. "There is no relation ship!" she retorted. "And don't bother. He'll think I told you to talk to him."  
The Dewott gave a laugh. "Rita, look around." He made a circular motion with his hand towards the other Pokemon in the room. "There are _tons _of Pokemon here that watched your battle and know that it was just a normal battle; not violent at all."  
Rita let out an annoyed huff. "He'll still believe Sweetie..." She looked to the side. "He says he likes her..."  
"And Vapor stuns us with an _amazing _water-pulse!" the TV blarred.  
It was silent between the two before Dew burst out laughing. "And you_ believed _him?" He laughed harder, a tear dripping from his eye. He wiped it away, staring at Rita. "He's just trying to make you jealous!"  
Rita felt annoyed at his hysteria. "He seemed pretty serious to me."  
"_Please_," Dew started, calming down. "He might believe Sweetie and all, but truly, he doesn't like her. He told me not too long ago about how annoying he thought she was." Dew started immitating Jet's voice, making a talking motion with his hand. "'She's always clinging to me, and calling me Jetty like you do. It's annoying.'" Dew smiled, continuing his immitation. "She's so upsessed with me, it's kinda creepy." Dew's hand fell back at his side as he looked at Rita, speaking in his normal voice. "He doesn't like Sweetie. He's just trying to make you jealous."  
Rita felt her face burn red as relief washed through her. She shuffled her paws. "Well..." she started, turning her head to the side, "It's working..."  
Dew's ears perked up as his whiskers twitched in amusement. He placed his paw to his head in a listening motion. "I'm sorry, my hearing's getting worse with my age. Could you please repeat that?"  
Rita glared at him. "You heard me!" She looked him over. "And you're no where near old!"  
Dew chuckled, placing his arm around her shoulders. "Listen, you gotta make _him _jealous."  
Rita frowned. "No thanks. I don't play those games. That junk only happens in movies."  
Dew's whiskers twitched. "Movies?" He gave a laugh. "You humans use the weirdest words. Anyway..." He turned his head back to Rita. "Getting him jealous, would make Sweetie go away, and you'd have no problem!"  
"Or it would really piss her off," Rita grunted. She smiled slightly. "But I'll do anything to hurt her on the inside."  
Dew removed his arm from her shoulder. "Great!" he said, clasping his hands together. "Now just... find someone to flirt with!"  
"W-What?" Rita stuttered. "I'm not good at that... And there's no one to do that with..." She rolled her eyes. "Never mind, then."  
Dew sighed. "You have to _commit_, girl."  
"And the winner is Vapor!"  
"No, I'm done." She looked at the TV screen as Vapor's image appeared.  
Dew was quiet for a bit before saying, "Go flirt with... Persian!"  
Rita looked at him from over her shoulder. "What?! No!"  
"C'mon!" Dew pressed. "He's a cat Pokemon like you, it'll make Jet explode with jealousy!"  
"Why are you in such an urge to make your friend jealous?" Rita questioned, narrowing her eyes. "I don't even know if he likes me. I doubt that he does now...  
"I'm _helping _him," Dew corrected. He pushed her in the direction Persian was in. He was sitting in the corner, neither Dragonite nor Wigglytuff around him.  
Rita didn't have time to object before she was staring up at Persian. _He's so stuck-up. Why him?_  
His gaze fell down upon her. "What do you want?"  
Rita turned around to ask Dew what to say, but he was gone. _Traitor! _She looked back at Persian, hoping Jet was watching. She had really only spoken to Persian once before, on their way back from Shard Mountain when they were searching for Dew. He had seemed like a very uninteresting Pokemon.  
"Uh..." Rita had no idea what to say. _I'm doing this for Jet! _"How about this weather?" she asked blankly.  
Dew face-palmed.  
Persian stared blankly back at her. His head slowly turned to the window nearby.  
Rita glanced at it to. She hadn't noticed it was raining again.  
Persian turned back to her. "It's raining."  
Rita have a fake half-twitch, half-grin. "Don't you just love the rain?" she tried to ask cheerfully.  
"No," Persian replied dully, his gaze showing less emotion than a brick.  
Rita felt Jet's eyes graze the back of her head. _I don't want him watching while I'm failing... _  
"Now we have Gypsy VS Electross!" Garnet's voice sounded.  
Rita decided to stick to the subject. "Why don't you like rain?" she asked.  
"Why is that any of your business?" Persian asked back.  
_Why him? He's so rude! _"I just wanna know," Rita replied.  
"Overly-curious humans..." Persian muttered. "I can't believe I ever-" He stopped himself, glaring down at Rita. "What are you still doing here?"  
Rita looked up at him. "You ever what?"  
Persian rolled his eyes. "Once again, is that your business? I didn't think so."  
Rita wished something would fall on the cat Pokemon's head. He was just as stubborn as Mightyena. _I'll change the subject... I'm supposed to be searching for the fifth, anyway... _She hated the thought of Persian being the fifth, but at least it would keep the conversation going. "Are you from the human world?" she asked straight-forwardly.  
Persian kept his gaze the same as a rock's. "Where did that come from?"  
"Just answer the question," Rita pressed, even though she knew the chances of him being from the human world were one in one hundred. _If he was he probably would have said something, anyway. _At least it would look like to Jet that she was talking to him, but Persian wasn't helping by keeping his gaze the same.  
"I am," Persian replied. "What's it to _you_?"  
Rita sighed. _I knew it. This is gonna take forev- _Her thoughts cut off as she fully contemplated what he had just said. She couldn't believe it. "W-What?"  
"I say it more slowly so the less intelligent can understand," Persian growled. "_I'm...From...The...Human...World._" He glared at her again. "Now are you satisfied?"  
Rita was at loss for words. All this time... The fourth and fifth had been right in front of them! _We're such idiots... _"You're the fifth!" Rita cried. "You're the fifth one of us!" Suddenly anger overcame her. "Why didn't you tell us?!"  
Persian shrugged. "I didn't think it as important. I figured there were lots of us, just reincarnations that remembered their past life or something." His gaze stayed held.  
"Any other _unimportant _things you'd like to share?" Rita asked sarcastically, annoyed at herself for not finding out sooner.  
"We've recently found Team Shadow Cloud's bodies."  
Rita's eyes widened in terror. "Were they... murdered?"  
Persian nodded. "Buried alive."  
"Who was it?"  
Persian growled. "If we knew that we wouldn't still be searching."  
"You don't look like you're searching," Rita pointed out.  
"Dragonite and Wigglytuff are. I'm on... break," Persian replied, stretching out his legs. He looked back at Rita. "And what do you mean,_ fifth_?"  
Rita looked to the side. _How do I explain this? _She looked back at Persian. _I need help... _"You're... one of us. Me, Jet, and Rici." She left out the part about Mightyena, Rae, and Vicky on purpose. "We're kind of... saving the world."  
"Is this some kind of joke?" Persian asked dryly. "Seriously. Grow up."  
"I'm serious!" Rita persisted. "We need to stop Palkia... There's a disortion in space causing all this whack! Palkia is the cause of it. We need to stop him... and we need five," she explained. "Vicky was our third, originally, but..." She looked down. "You know. And so Rici became third... and our fourth was supposed to be Rae then and-"  
"_What_?" Persian asked in disbelief. "Rae's not a human!"  
"But he _is_," Rita pressed. "He's actually part of the cause of all this- hypnotizing other Pokemon! _He _hypnotized Froslass, and that's why Dew went missing!"  
"Riiiiiight," Persian replied sarcastically. "And I suppose that they're planning to hypnotize Arceus and destroy the world, yes?"  
"You got it."  
Rita turned towards the direction of the voice.  
Mightyena was padding over to them, Crobat and Night behind him.  
Persian narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"  
Rita looked up at Mightyena. "I thought you weren't on our side."  
Mightyena looked down. "As much as I hate you..." He didn't meet her gaze. "Even if it's the smallest chance in the world... I'd do anything to see Collin again... Besides," He pointed with his tail to Crobat and Night. "They were finally able to talk some sense into me."  
"What do you have to do with this little game?" Persian asked dully.  
Mightyena straightened up. "I'm the fourth."  
Rita's eyes brightened. "Thank Arceus..." she muttered.  
"You should be thanking _us_," Crobat pointed out. "We were on your side before him."  
Mightyena grinned. "So you _are _traitors."  
Crobat's face turned slightly frightened. "Uh..."  
"Don't sweat it," Mightyena said cooly. "You're both the good kind of traitors."  
Night smiled. "Glad we were finally able to talk some sense into you."  
"So what happened?" Jet's voice sounded behind them. Rita looked over at him. Dew, Vapor, Flower, Plasma, and Moon were walking over as well.  
Dew nudged towards Rita. "It was working as much as you failed, believe it or not," he whispered.  
"Is he on our side now?" Flower asked quietly.  
_When did they find out? Jet must have told them._  
Mightyena looked over at her. "Yes."  
"So, does that mean you and your team won't be so rude to us anymore?" Plasma asked. She cast an annoyed glance at Crobat.  
"We still hate you," Crobat told her, frowning. "So no. We'll be as mean to you as we want."  
"You're such a freak!" Plasma yelled at him.  
"Take a look in the mirror!" Crobat retorted.  
As the two argued, Rita turned her attention back to Mightyena, chuckling. _They're so perfect for eachother. _She grinned, but cast a glance at Jet. _Why can't we be perfect?_  
Rita wondered where Rici went. She'd have to tell him about Mightyena. _Maybe he'll smile for once. _She gazed across the room, catching Smoke's dazed eye. When would she be able to properly talk to him again? Maybe since Mightyena was on they're side now, he could snap him out of it.  
Mightyena let out an irritated sigh. "Crobat's right, I still don't like you, but we're..." He hesitated. "_Partners _now.." He emphasized the word like it sickened him to say it.  
Rita noticed that Persian was casting confused looks in all directions. He seemed desperate to get away, but everyone was crowded around him, blocking his path.  
"We need to start everything right away, then," Vapor pointed out, lashing her tail.  
Rita felt guilty that she was bringing her friends into all this. She didn't want them getting hurt.  
"Very well," Mightyena agreed. His gaze drifted down to his black paws. "But first I... have a request."  
Everyone grew quiet. The only thing Rita could hear were the other Pokemon in the room talking.  
"What is it?" Moon asked, speaking up. Rita had forgotten she was there.  
"Don't call me Mightyena anymore," Mightyena started. "From now on, address me as Shade."  
"Like your team name?" Plasma asked. "That's stupid."  
"You're so rude!" Moon snapped at her. "And you call _them _rude!"  
"It's not stupid," Mightyena growled at her. "It was my name before I came to the Pokemon world."  
Rita grinned. Mightyena had had a name before. She felt happy for him that he was using it again.  
"This is all very heartwarming," Persian cut in, his face still showing no emotion, "But I honestly have no idea what's going on."  
"Mightyena here... or Shade... is from the human world," Plasma explained. "And so are you, sooooo... you and Rita and Jet and Rici and Mightye-... _Shade_," she corrected herself, "Make five, and you are the five that's gonna stop all this nonsense and save our souls." She drew an "S.O.S" sign in the air.  
Persian narrowed his eyes. "Riiiiigggghhhhhtttt..." He looked from Rita, to Jet, to Plasma, to Night, then finally Shade. "This sounds interesting and all but... no thanks."  
_What?! _  
"You're kidding, right?" Moon asked in disbelief.  
Night flicked her tail. "Is it because you think its a joke?"  
Persian shook his head. "No... I believe you... about everything. I already know Rae's evil, I've had quite a few dreams myself with some Pokemon I don't know telling me that, and telling me I'm the 'fifth' and what not..." He took in a dramatic breath, like just talking was wearing him out. "And I remember being on a boat with Rita, Jet, Rici, Rae, and Victoria. I was sent by Rici and Rita's father to fight any Pokemon that attacked them..."  
"Then why won't you join us?" Rita challenged. Anger raged through her like a fire. He _had _to be kidding!  
Persian rolled his eyes again. Rita was getting tired of that.  
"Because..." Persian thought for a moment. "Think about it," he told them. "Rae has the right idea in reshaping the world. I'm not saying I agree with what he's doing, but I don't disagree with it either."  
"So you _want _to die?" Flower asked.  
Persian shook his head once more. "No. But, if you believe in reincarnation, wouldn't we all get reincarnated into the new world?"  
"What's wrong with the world we have?" Vapor asked, tilting her head.  
"Exactly what Rae says is wrong with it," Persian replied, shrugging. "And the whole 'fifth' thing? Yeah... I'm out." He flicked his eyes to the TV screen. "I couldn't save the world even if I wanted to."  
"That's why we _train_," Jet told him, narrowing his eyes.  
Persian turned his head towards the silver Floatzel. "You don't even know what you're training for!" he replied. "Battling Palkia... Yeah, maybe we could do it, but _Arceus_?" He shook his head in disbelief. "If you really think we stand a chance against _him_, you're crazy."  
"We have to think we do," Rita stepped in. "Or else we won't get anywhere."  
Persian sighed. "Whatever." He pushed his way past Rita, Dew, and Jet. "I'll see you later. The third rounds are starting too, if you haven't noticed."  
Rita glared at him until his body was no longer see-able above the crowds of different Pokemon.  
"Well, isn't he just Mr. Brightside?" Dew said sarcastically.  
Crobat looked at Shade. "What're we gonna do, then?"  
Night revealed her claws. "I could slice some sense into him," she growled.  
Plasma raised her arm in the air. "I second that motion!"  
_What a stuck-up, annoying, arrogant, big-headed snob! _Rita thought to herself. _I can't believe he won't join us! He was even my father's partner! That traitor! _Her claws itched to strangle him. _He's even supporting Rae! _As much as she didn't want to believe it, Persian did have a point. The world was getting more cruel and violent day by day, and murders were always rising back in the human world. It was only at matter of time before Pokemon- _and _humans- went extinct. _Still... he's completely ignorant to the fact that the world _can _change! _  
"We'll find another way to convince him," Jet started, nodding. "And besides, he nodded towards the TV screen. "The third rounds _are _starting... and it looks like Plasma's up against our favorite Game member.  
_He better not mean Sweetie! She was defeated! _Rita whipped around to glance at the screen. A picture of Plasma and Ten was shown with a huge VS sign in the middle. _I'm just being paranoid... _She then realized exactly _who_ Plasma was up against. Her eyes widened in horror. Ten would destroy her! Especially since they had a fight before... and it didn't help that Ten had a personal grudge against Rita.  
_If Plasma gets hurt, I'll never forgive myself... _She wasn't about to let Plasma fight Ten. He was too strong. Apparently, Crobat and Moon had the same thing in mind.  
"Forfiet!" they all said at once.  
Crobat quickly flinched away when Night and Shade gave him awkward looks. "I mean... because she's just gonna get killed," he quickly said, defending himself. "We need her on our side, don't we?"  
Plasma frowned. "You all really think I'm _that _weak?" She crossed her arms, tsking. "That's disappointing."  
"Plasma," Moon pleaded, "You saw him earlier! He's _way _too strong!"  
"I can deal!" Plasma snapped. "You all underestimate me too much!"  
Rita stepped in front of her, blocking her way as she turned to leave. "Trust us on this. Ten is too powerful."  
Plasma shoved past her. "I'll be _fine_," she reassured them. "PokeGirl22."  
"Yeah, if you like death," Crobat muttered.  
"Shut up, freak!" Plasma snapped at him. She turned back towards the door, opening it and disappearing behind it.  
Rita couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She wished she could talk to Lilac, Ten's old partner. _I could get some information on Ten's past... I already know he's a human, but I'm certain there's more. _She looked at Mightyena, wanting to find out more about Smoke.  
He caught her gaze. "What do you want?"  
"It's about Smoke," she said blankly. "Since you're on our side, unhypnotize him, or whatever you did to him. Now."  
Shade/Mightyena frowned. "I can't."  
"Why not?" Moon asked, clearly concerned about the Quilava. "You did it, didn't you?"  
"Gengar did," Mightyena replied. "Only he can snap him out of it."  
"There must be another way, right?" Vapor asked. "He can't just... stay like that."  
Mightyena sighed. "He can."  
"Can't you order him around though?" Rita asked. "He listens to you, right? Just tell him to snap out of it."  
"It doesn't work that way!" Mightyena growled. "And even if it did, I couldn't tell him to. A few hours ago, Rae fixed his hypnosis so that only he can give Smoke orders."  
"Why? Because _He_ told Rae not to trust you?" Rita stared at him.  
"Yeah..." Mightyena let out a huff. "I believe Rae still trusts me, but Gengar doesn't."  
"Who exactly _is _Gengar?" Jet asked.  
"_He _is Gengar," Mightyena explained. "Gengar is Rae's guardia-"  
"JJJJEEEEEEETTTTTTYYYYY!"  
Rita knew the voice that cut Mightyena off all too well. She cast a glance at Dew, who glanced at her back, frowning.  
Jet turned around, looking at Sweetie. "Hey!" he said cheerfully.  
Rita felt jealousy spread through her as she glared up at Sweetie.  
Sweetie glared down at her. "What's that look for?" Her covered her paws over her mouth in a fake gasp. "Please don't hurt me again!"  
Jet turned to glare at Rita. "Stop with that look. It's unattractive." He narrowed his eyes. "Why can't you just leave her alone?"  
As Rita opened her mouth to speak, Jet turned back to Sweetie.  
"What do you need?" he asked her in a respectful tone.  
Sweetie smiled. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to get lunch! Garnet hired a chef, and I hear she's making _really _good food!"  
"I don't know," Jet replied, looking to the side and scratching the back of his head. "With the tournament and all, I don't know when my match will be..."  
"Easy!" Sweetie replied. "Your match will be tenth."  
"How do you know?" Jet questioned.  
Sweetie rolled her eyes, smiling. "I just know, Jetty, I'm smart." She grabbed his hand. "Let's go!"  
As she scampered away with him, he turned his head around, waving. "See ya." They both disappeared into the hallway.  
Another wave of jealousy crashed over Rita. _I hate her! _  
"Was that the chick you fought earlier?" Moon asked from beside Rita, causing her to jump.  
Rita huffed. "Yeah," she replied, scowling.  
Moon giggled. "Are you jealous of her and Jet?"  
Well, Dew knew, why not tell Moon?  
"...Yes..."  
Moon gasped. "So you _do _like Jet!" she exclaimed.  
Rita slapped her paws over Moon's mouth. "Shhh! You don't need to announce it to the whole world!"  
Moon grinned, removing Rita's paws. "That's adorable!" She giggled again. "You and Jet..."  
Rita glared at her. "What? You don't have anybody _you _like?"  
Moon's face flushed. "N-No!"  
Rita narrowed her eyes, smirking. "You _do, _don't you?"  
Moon turned her face away. "I'm gonna watch Plasma's battle. I don't need this."  
Rita chuckled. Somehoe, the short conversation had managed to cheer her up. She glanced at the television screen, but immeadiatley wished she hadn't.  
Plasma lay on the ground, clearly beaten up. Ten leaned over her, only a few minor scratches on him.  
"What a shame. I thought it would be more fun to destroy Lilac's _new _friend." He said the word 'new' with disgust. "It was fun while it lasted..." He kicked Plasma's limp body.  
Rita stared in horror at the TV screen. This was _her _fault!  
Moon stared wide-eyed at the screen. "Plasma!" she cried.  
"She's _such _an _idiot_!" Crobat said in disgust, though his face showed panic.  
Ten turned away from Plasma, only to be hit by a discharge. He fell to his knees, gasping for air.  
"And Plasma makes an _amazing _comeback, ladies and gentlemen!" Garnet called. "Ten looks like the one in danger now!"  
Relief washed through Rita. Plasma wasn't done yet.  
Ten whipped around, charging at her with night slash.  
Plasma didn't seem to be in as good health as she acted, because she fell to the ground as soon as the attack hit her. She didn't move. A pool of blood formed around her.  
Immeadiatley, two Audino's rushed on to the arena, carrying Plasma away on a stretcher.  
_Plasma! _Rita hoped with all her heart her friend would be okay. _This is my fault..._  
"Plasma!" Moon cried again. She started towards the hallway, but stopped to look back at Rita. "I'm going to see what I can do to help!" With that, she rushed into the hallway.  
"I-I'll come too!" Flower called after her. "I know healing moves..." Her voice drifted away as she disappeared into the hallway.  
"Uh..."Garnet seemed flustered. "The winner is Ten."  
Ten grinned, heading off the arena's battlefield.  
Rita glared at his image on the screen. _I'll get you for this..._  
"Now, we have Eve VS Crobat!" Garnet announced.  
An image of a Kirlia and Crobat appeared on the screen, with a huge VS in the middle.  
Rita glanced at Crobat, who looked extremely unhappy, yet very angry.  
Mightyena smacked him on the back. "Don't die!"  
"Yeah whatever." Crobat sulked out of the room, his wings fluttering.  
Rita heard Vapor sigh.  
"This is getting out of hand. Ten needs a serious whooping." The blue Vaporeon pricked her ears. "And I feel like... Jet shouldn't hang out with Sweetie... That she's the enemy."  
Dew chuckled. "Rita thinks that way too." He turned his head towards Rita. "Don't cha, Rita?"  
Rita felt her face burn. "Shut up!"  
"No, not because Rita likes Jet," Vapor started, staring at the ceiling.  
Rita's face burned even hotter. "What?!"  
"Like... I don't know how to explain it." Vapor shrugged. "I just started getting the same eerie feeling around her that I get when I'm around Rae."  
Dew shrugged. "It's probably hunger pangs."  
Vapor threw him a confused look, before continuing. "It's like she's against us."  
Night shrugged. "Maybe she is. Rae could have gotten her, too."  
Rita, Dew, and Vapor all turned to stare at her.  
"He can just get whoever he wants, then?" Dew asked.  
Night nodded. "He's already gotten... quite a few."  
"Who?!" the three asked in unison.  
"Well," Mightyena answered. "For Pokemon we know, he's hypnotized Smoke and Shield."  
Rita gasped. Rae had gotten Shield? For some reason, it made her think of Team Shadow Cloud's bodies. Had Rae killed them? "Did Rae kill team Shadow Cloud?" Rita asked Mightyena.  
Mightyena's gaze drifted to the side. "...N...o..."  
Rita narrowed her eyes. Was he lying?  
"And the winner is Crobat!"  
"That was fast," Night commented.  
Mightyena shrugged. "He doesn't look it, but he's a pretty good fighter... I wouldn't want to be stuck battling him."  
_I didn't know Mightyena... or Shade... ever gave out compliments. Huh._  
Garnet appeared on the screen again, holding a microphone. "We'll be taking a break for lunch," he announced, "For those who haven't already gotten it." He smiled. "We have the world-famous chef, Callie from the Gold Diner, serving us lunch today!" A picture of a Simipour in front of a fancy-looking diner appeared on the screen. The diner was painted gold, giving it the illusion that it actually _was _gold. "We hope you enjoy!" The TV shut off, leaving nothing but blackness.  
"World famous, huh?" Dew qustioned.  
Vapor raised one eyebrow. "I've never heard of her..."  
Rita didn't care. She didn't know diners even existed in the Pokemon world. "I'm hungry. Lets go." She waited for Dew and Vapor before heading out, while Mightyena and Night stayed behind to wait for Crobat.  
_I'm almost sure Shade was lying about Rae not killing Team Shadow Cloud. _Uneasiness filled her thoughts. _Is he really on our side?_

Another pang of jealousy hit Rita in the face as he spotted Jet sitting with Sweetie at a table. Alone. She sat at the table in the corner with Vapor and Dew, where she normally sat with Smoke, Plasma, and Moon. Dew sat beside Vapor, while Rita sat beside air. Moon nor Plasma had returned yet, and so she figured Flower was still with them. She had no idea where Smoke was.  
Warm, delicious scents filled the air around her. Rita was glad to be out of the overly-crowded arena room, and in a more open space. Not to mention that the cafeteria seemed more beautiful than ever. Golden streamers stretched out across the indredibly high cafeteria ceiling, wrapped around the lights that were newly shaded with gold paint. It made the place look exactly like something from a fairytale.  
_They must have decorated it for Chef Callie. _Rita stared at her untouched meal. Her plate was coated with spaghetti, and a selection of different fruits. Most of the stuff she had grabbed at random, wanting to try everything. She recognized some veggie sushi hidden below her key lime pie. _Could I really eat all this? _  
"You _have _to try it, Rita," Vapor said, her smile wide. "It's _delicious._"  
"I think this is what they serve in heaven," Dew awknowledged, a heavenly look on his face. He stuffed his food in his mouth like a pig.  
Rita shrugged, and stuck a forkful of her pie in her mouth. She immediatley knew what Dew and Vapor meant. It was delicious. Before she knew it, she had ate everything on her plate. For once in her life, she felt completely and utterly stuffed. Plasma, Moon, and Flower were really missing out. Thinking of the fiesty Emolga made Rita feel a bit worried. _I really hope she'll be alright._  
"Of course she'll be fine," a voice said from beside her.  
Rita turned towards it. She smiled as she saw a huge, golden Pidgeot that she was fully convinced was her mother.  
Pidgey rested peacefully atop Lady Pidgeot's head.  
"Hey, Lady P," Dew greeted, resting his elbows on the back of the booth seat.  
Lady Pidgeot narrowed her eyes. "Hey, Lady D," she replied playfully back. She tsked. "How many times have I told you not to call me that? You've gotten some other members hooked on it, and quite a few Game members are calling me that."  
"Well, they won't be calling you it when the tournament's over," Dew pointed out.  
Lady Pidgeot smiled again. "Well, I've recieved word that the Rescue Camp will be finished in about a week or so."  
"Really?" Rita asked.  
Vapor grinned. "Great!"  
"Well, the tournament probably ends in the next two days," Dew caculated. "So that would be..." He counted on his fingers. "Five days without somewhere to stay."  
Vapor narrowed her eyes. "Do you really need to count on your fingers for that?"  
"I'm sure Garnet can make an exception," Lady Pidgeot stated. She glanced at a clock on the gold-coated wall. "You better hurry up. The tournament is resuming soon."  
Rita looked around, not having noticed that the cafeteria was practically cleared out. The only Pokemon that remained were them, Jet, Sweetie, and a couple other Pokemon she didn't recognize.  
The TV snapped on as soon as she was done observing. "Good afternoon, all!" Garnet's voice sounded. "We'll be restarting our tournament right now!"  
Lady Pidgeot whipped around. "Great. I've gotta get on stage." She started towards the door, glancing back at Team Water Pulse and Rita. "I'll see you guys! Good luck!"  
"'Aight, lets get goin," Dew advised, standing up and stretching.  
"For this round, we have Rita VS Zangoose!"  
Rita jumped as she heard her name. She spun around, staring at the TV screen. Her picture was on the screen, along with Zangoose's. She frowned. She didn't want to fight Zangoose.  
She looked back at Vapor and Dew.  
"Better hurry, or you'll lose by forfiet," Vapor told her.  
Rita nodded, and hurried off.

Rita hurled the strongest blizzard she had ever used at Zangoose. Something wasn't right about him. He seemed a bit... off. His attacks were clumsy, and the glint in his was was almost phycopathic.  
He clumsily disappeared into the air, then appeared in front of Rita, slashing her as her blizzard hit him.  
She coughed up blood. _His faint attack is way too powerful... _It then crossed her mind. Smoke had the same dazed look in his eye as Zangoose did, but Zangoose's eyes looked more unstable than Smoke's.  
_Is Zangoose hypnotized too? _The thought sent fear washing through her. _How many other Pokemon are hypnotized?!_ _Zangoose must have been ordered to hurt me or something..._  
His attacks weren't exactly meant to kill her, but close enough. It was as if Gengar had ordered him to toy with her.  
_Gengar... How can we fight an enemy we've never met, and probably never will? _Thoughts blazed through her mind as she used a roaring thunderbolt. _If somehow we managed to beat Rae, how would we fight Gengar? Rae is our only portal to Gengar... _If that was the case, Rae was not to be touched. _Rae isn't the head boss then... It's Gengar! _It was all too confusing.  
Suddenly, Zangoose fell to the ground, knocked out. Rita hadn't even used a move on him.  
Confused, Rita stared down at him. _He might be doing what Plasma did... He'll suddenly get up and attack me... _  
A minute turned into two minutes, followed by three. Nothing happened. The two Audino that had carried Plasma away came out and retrieved Zangoose.  
"And the winner is Rita!" Garnet sounded. His voice sounded much more clear echoing throughout the arena.  
Rita tilted her head in confusion before heading towards the hallway she came from.  
_What a weird battle._  
She arrived back in the crowded arena waiting room. She found herself searching for Jet, and soon spotted him near the middle of the room, talking with Sweetie.  
_He's always with her! I wish she would just die!_  
"Jealous again, eh?"  
Rita sighed as she turned around to face Dew. "Am I making it too obvious?"  
Dew half-grinned. "Kinda." He looked back the screen. "That was certainly a strange battle."  
"I think Zangoose is hypnotized," Rita blurted out.  
Dew tsked. "We can't be sure." He looked towards Sweetie and Jet. "So. I have a plan."  
"Does it involve me flirting?" Rita asked with a sigh.  
"How did you know?!" Dew asked in disbelief.  
Rita rolled her eyes. "I'm a goddess." She looked back at Dew. "I'm no good at that stuff."  
"That's why you'll be '_flirting_' with me!" Dew said, puffing out his chest.  
"With you?" Rita rolled her eyes again. "Uh-huh..."  
"C'mon," Dew persisted. "What better way to get someone jealous than to flirt with their friend?"  
Rita sighed. "If that's what it takes..."  
Dew grabbed her shoulder, tugging her a bit closer to where Jet and Sweetie were. "They can't hear you," he said with a fake smile. "So just smile and occasionally laugh so it looks real."  
Rita narrowed her eyes. "How do you know how to do this?"  
Dew chuckled. "My father taught me!" He gave a thumbs up.  
Rita gave a fake laugh. "Really? Tell me more," she said, uninterested.  
Dew smiled. "You're really bad at this, you know that?" he told her through gritted teeth.  
Rita's face dropped a bit. "This is so unconvincing."  
"It would help it you tried," Dew huffed. "Make it believeable."  
"How can I make it believeable?" she asked. "All he can really see is us smiling and stuff. It's obviously fake." She cast a glance over at Jet, for a split second catching his eye. It showed a glint of jealousy. She quickly stared back at Dew. "Shhhh! He's looking!"  
"We don't need to be _quiet_." Dew reminded her. "Do something then." He chuckled. "Make _him _jealous." His grin showed amusement. "Unless you want him to play doll with Sweetie forever.  
"I don't know what to do," Rita hissed.  
Dew rolled his eyes. "I have to do _everything._" He grabbed Rita's purple collar, pulling her towards him as he tilted his head, and pressed his mouth to hers.  
Rita's eyes grew wide. She could just feel Jet's eyes grazing the back of her head.  
Dew pulled away, staring at her. He quickly glanced at Jet, then back at her. "Sorry 'bout that... but I think it worked." He released his grip on her collar.  
Rita stared at him, narrowing her eyes. "You probably just started about fifty rumors."  
He shrugged. "Who cares? We'll be outta here after the tournament." He cast a look at Jet again, narrowing his eyes and grinning. "Heh. It _did _work," he stated, chuckling. "Look how flustered he is." Dew started laughing.  
Rita narrowed her eyes at him. "You're such a cruel friend."  
"Like I said before, I'm simply _helping _him."  
Rita looked back over at Jet and Sweetie. Jet was simply nodding at her words, glancing awkwardly in all directions. Sweetie looked like she couldn't find the source of it, before looking like she'd givin up.  
Rita felt oddly happy watching them. _What am I thinking? I don't even know if Jet likes me. But if he's trying to make me jealous..._ She lightly smiled.  
Dew noticed. "What's that for? Did I taste good?"  
_Maybe I'm winning. _She looked back at Jet and Sweetie. _But then again, making him jealous may not be the best way to go..._

•  
Jet stomped through the hallway to his team's room. The tournament had been put on hold, since it had started hailing for some odd reason and a huge chunk of hail broke through the arena roof. Garnet had started freaking out about his roof, so called off the tournament until it was prepared. He couldn't believe Dew would do that. Anger blazed through him. _Some partner!_  
Jet swung the door to his room open. He spotted Dew napping lazily on the cotton bed, spread out like a blanket. He walked up to him. Hastily, he shoved him to the floor, jolting him awake.  
Dew looked up at him. "What was that for?" he asked, giving a huge yawn and rubbing his head.  
"What was that?" Jet asked, tapping his foot.  
Dew rolled over on the floor, grinning. "What was what?" He perched his head up on his arm, his body stretched out.  
"You know what," Jet growled. "Earlier today."  
Dew gave a fake surprised look. "Ooooohhhhhhh..." he started. "That. Did it make you jealous by any chance?"  
Jet crossed his arms. "So that's what you're trying to do?"  
"Dude." Dew sat up, leaning back on his elbows. "You're so dense. It's not obvious that she likes you?"  
_What? Rita hates me now... _He shook his head. _But she's rude. She nearly killed Sweetie! I thought she was better than that... but I was wrong._  
"Are you talking about Rita?" Vapor asked, entering the room. They were lucky to have a room to theirselves.  
Dew grinned. "Welcome back! And yes, we are."  
Jet frowned. "Whatever. I don't care anyway. Rita nearly killed Sweetie."  
Vapor tilted her head. "Speaking of Rita..."  
Dew nodded. "We are."  
"Don't you think it's kinda dangerous to have her stay with Smoke?" she asked. "I mean... Who knows what Rae told him to do."  
Jet sat on the cotton bed, letting out a huff. "Who cares?"  
Dew stared at him, giving him an 'are you stupid?' look. "You do."  
"No, I don't!" Jet defended himself. "Not anymore."  
"She didn't 'nearly kill' anybody," Vapor told him. "I can't believe you believe that rodent."  
Jet glared at her. "She's not a rodent. And she told me Rita set you guys up to say things like that." He gazed at them sympathetically. "Can't you tell she's just looking for attention?"  
"If you mean Sweetie, then yes." Vapor flicked her tail, giving him an irritated look. "I'll bet you five million Poke that something bad's gonna happen to Rita tonight."  
Jet shrugged. "Don't know, don't care," he lied. He didn't want to care about Rita. He really didn't; after what Sweetie told him about her. He layed down on the cotton bed. "Good night."  
Dew and Vapor both frowned. "Goodnight."  
Jet closed his eyes as the light went off. _I wish I didn't care about her. _He couldn't help slightly panicing at the thought of her getting hurt. _Nothing will happen anyway. I don't care. _But he knew he was just lying to himself.

•  
Rita stared at the sky through the room's window. Team Resurrect had gone to bed. She looked behind her. _Where's Smoke? _  
As if answering her question, the door creaked open. Smoke's figure appeared in the doorway, and the oor shut behind him.  
"Break her," he said. His eyes showed no emotion.  
Rita tilted her head. _Break her? Rae must have told him to say stupid things. _She rolled her eyes.  
Smoke's yellow eyes glinted in the darkness. He stared at Rita.  
"Knock it off," Rita told him. "You're creeping me out."  
"Break her."  
She glanced at Team Resurrect. They were sound asleep. If they woke to Smoke, they would know something was up. _Accept for Shield..._  
"Break her."  
Rita glared at him. She wished she could snap him out of it.  
As Rita turned to the bed, she felt something sharp stab her back. She let out a shriek as something whacked her in the back of the head.  
Her vision started to blur as she stared up at Smoke through the darkness.  
Then her world went black.


	23. 22: Safe Is No Where, No Where is Safe

Ten sat in the corner of his room, his head in his hands as he listened to Rita's screech.

_I don't want to hear it! _He clutched his head tighter. _I don't want to hear Lilac suffer! _

He clenched his eyes shut.

_But she abandoned me... And now it seems she likes someone else. She's a traitor!_

He buried his head further into the wall, until it felt like he would put a hole in it. He hated Lilac for what she did, but he still thought of her as his partner. Why couldn't he just destroy her and be done with it? Smoke seemed like he would do it for him, but for some reason he didn't want that. A silent part of him hoped Smoke would snap out of it.

_If Rae knew I was thinking like this, he would kill me. _He gulped. _Literally..._

A knocking at his door sent his head perking up, only to hit it against the wall, causing a huge PokeGirl22 _Thud!_  
Ten stood up, rubbing his head. "What?" he called.  
"It's Tamata," the voice answered. "I heard somethi-"  
"AND TRINITY!"  
Ten pictured the Mawile rolling her eyes. "And Trinity," she huffed. "We heard something... break. Are you alright?"  
Ten glanced towards the wall he had been sulking against. There was a huge, black, jagged hole where his head was.  
_So I did put a hole in it. _He sighed. _Garnet's gonna freak. _He looked back towards the door. "Sorry," he called back. "I was just practicing a move, and it went through the wall." he lied.  
Ten heard the Mawile heave a sigh.  
"Garnet's not gonna be too happy about that."  
"I know."  
"Do you want us to help you fix it?" Trinity asked cheerfully.  
Ten remembered back when him and Lilac would continuously practice battling in their room, breaking more objects than he could remember. Team Sound, consisting of Tamata the Mawile and Trinity the Flareon, would always come to their aid when Garnet started freaking out. They had been great friends until Lilac's incident. This was the first time they had spoken since then.  
Ten shook his head, knowing they couldn't see it. "It's fine. I'll fix it before Garnet finds it."  
"Also," Tamata continued, "Did you hear that scream earlier?"  
Ten tensed up. "N-No..." he lied. "Someone probably just had a bad dream..."  
"About Garnet freaking on them," Tamata added with a laugh.  
Ten forced a fake chuckle. "Y-Yeah..."  
There was an awkward silence between them. Ten was glad the wall was there, so he didn't have to look at them.  
"Are you okay?" Tamata asked again. It was easy to tell she was desperate to talk with her old friend. "Do you want to talk?"  
"I'm fine..." He had been telling so many lies. "You should get back to sleep. It's late."  
Another silence filled the air.  
"We miss you," Tamata finally said. "Why don't you talk to us anymore?"  
Ten was quiet.  
"We miss Lilac, too," Tamata continued.  
"We do!" Trinity agreed.  
"But if we just talk it out-"  
"I don't miss Lilac." Ten glanced at the side of the cotton bed where Lilac always slept. She liked the window side.  
"Why not?" Trinity's voice asked. "You guys were so close."  
Ten walked closer to the door. "I don't miss her because she's still here." An angry, sadistic frown spread across his face.  
"Listen, Ten," Tamata started. "If you're thinking like that, you really need to see someone-"  
"Hear me out," he cut in. "You guys don't have to miss Lilac, because she's still here." Ten pictured the two Pokemon tilting their heads. "You remember that Delcatty from the Rescue Camp, right? I recount you talking to her before, Tamata."  
"Her?" Tamata asked. She went into thought. "Now that I think about it, she looked_ a lot _like Lilac..."  
Ten pictured her grinning.  
"But that doesn't mean she is Lilac," she added quickly.  
"She is!" Ten persisted. "She just doesn't want anything to do with us."  
"If she was Lilac she'd be happy to see us!" Trinity argued.  
Ten grinned. "You'd think that." He reached for the door knob, giving it a turn and opening the door. He stared into the surprised eyes of his old friends. "I know someone who can help get _our _Lilac back." He started down the hallway, turning around at them. "Not the Lilac that poses as Rita. We can slap some sense into her."  
Trinity and Tamata exchanged glances. "Who?" they asked in unison.

•  
_Where am I?_  
A light shone in front of her. She was in the hallways of The Game. A shriek pierced her ears.  
_I know that scream!_ She rushed towards the source, bursting into one of The Game rooms. It was pitch black, except for a pair of glinting yellow eyes. They seemed to stare right through her. At the end of the room, two pairs of frightened eyes stared at the yellow ones.  
She immediately turned on the light switch. The light flickered on, the yellow rays showering the room.  
Archen and Omanyte stood in the back of the room. They looked even more frightened as they watched the light flicker on.  
"Who turned that on?!" Archen croaked, her voice quivering with fear.  
She stared across the room at Smoke, Rita at his feet in a pool of blood. There was a huge red mark on the back of her head.  
"Did I break her yet?" Smoke asked, turning to Shield, who stood next to him. "Did I break her?"  
Shield shrugged. "Did you?"  
"What are you doing?!" she cried. "Rita's your partner, Smoke!"  
Smoke glanced around, clearly confused. "Where did that come from?"  
She snorted. "Me, stupid!"  
_Why is he acting like an idiot? And why is he hurting Rita?!_  
"Rita is... the enemy..." Smoke glanced around again. "Who are you? Show yourself!"  
_Show myself? _"I'm right here!" She darted over to Rita, stopping as she passed through Shield and Smoke. _Did I just go... through them? _She stared down at Rita. "Rita, wake up! I'm here! It's Vicky!" She prodded Rita's side. "Wake up! It's Vicky! Please wake up..."  
"Vicky?" Smoke tilted his head. "That sounds... familiar..."  
"I think Rita's dead!" Victoria cried.  
His dazed, pupil-less gaze seemed to snap back to reality. He nervously glanced from side to side, eventually drifting back to Rita's body. "W-What? Where am..." His eyes widened as he looked at Rita. "RITA!" He bent down at her side. "What happened..? I was in the lobby! Why am I here...?"  
Victoria stared at him. "You killed her!" she snarled. "You killed Rita!"

••  
Darkness was all Rita could see. A small, dense light appeared in front of her.  
_Am I dead?_  
She could only remember Smoke's dazed gaze as he stabbed her.  
_I-I can't be dead!_  
She sat down, staring at the light.  
_Is that the way to heaven? _She started towards the light, but stopped herself. _I don't want to die! _She took a paw step forward. _I guess I'm not meant to save the world after all... _She walked towards the light. _There are so many things I wanted to do before I died... And I never got to say last words to anybody..._  
She made a list of things she still had yet to say to people in her head as she slowly made her way towards the light.  
_Vapor... I wanted to thank you for comforting me when Vicky died. If we were both humans in the human world, you would have been my role model._  
_Dew... You're hilarious. And yes, you do taste good._  
_Moon... I never got to find out who you liked. You're so adorable._  
_Plasma... You are great. You make me smile just by being in the room. If we were both humans in the human world, we would have been best friends._  
_Flower... Life is so tough. You're so strong, though. Both your teammates are gone, but you are still standing, just like a brick wall._  
_Lady Pidgeot... Or mom. I'm completely sure you are the reincarnation of my mother. I love you, mom._  
_Rici... You're such a mystery. You're my little brother, though, so I love you too._  
She neared closer.  
_Ten... I'm sorry about Lilac. I'm not her. I guess I do kinda forgive you... I don't know if I ever will._  
_Crobat... Lawlz you like Plasma._  
_Smoke... You are the best partner a Rita could ask for. Even though it was you who killed me... I forgive you. It wasn't your fault. You're so strong._  
_Mightyena... You have a troubled past. I forgive you too, for everything you did. If we met on different circumstances, I think we could have been friends._  
_Rae... I don't believe you're fully evil. If you really tried, you could stop what you're doing. You could start over..._  
_Sweetie... I hate your face._  
_And Jet..._  
Her face burned.  
_I've been spending most of my time trying to make you jealous. Now that I'm dead, Sweetie will finally get you... If that's what you want, I'm happy for you. Hell, you can't even hear me. But I never got to tell you..._  
The bright light was just one pawstep away.  
_I love you._  
As she lifted her paw to step towards the light, something shoved her back.  
Smacking her head on the dark ground, she immediately sat up, looking for her attacker. _What kind of heaven is this?!_  
Her eyes widened, and her mouth slightly opened as she stared into the mirror image of herself. A Delcatty stood in front of her, all of her features the same as Rita's.  
_What have I been smoking?_  
"What are you doing?!" the other Rita asked in horror.  
Rita blinked, as if her mirror image would go away. _Am I hallucinating? _She squinted her eyes. "I'm dead... I'm going to Heaven."  
The other Rita took a step forward. "You don't belong there!"  
Rita felt hurt. "I'm going to Hell?!" She got on her knees, folding her hands. "I don't know what I've done wrong, but I'm sorry! I repent!"  
The other Rita face-palmed. "No. I mean, yeah you'll probably go to Heaven... But it's not your time yet."  
Rita put her arms down, standing back on all four paws again. "But... I just died."  
"Don't go into the light!"  
Rita tilted her head. "What?"  
The other Rita chuckled. "Sorry. I wanted to quote a movie I saw in a past life." She coughed. "In Heaven, you can remember all the lives you've lived before!" She glanced back at Rita. "But you don't deserve that luxury yet. You still have a duty to do."  
"So... I'm not dying?"  
"Don't be silly!" the other Rita laughed. "You are dead, but I'm going to send you back."  
Rita sighed. "But I just rehearsed my last words in my head..."  
"You can't say your last words if you're dead. Save them for when you're dying."  
Rita nodded. "Okay." She stared at her mirror image. "Who are you, though?"  
The Delcatty stared back at her. "I'm Lilac."  
Rita **gasped**. There was so much she wanted to ask Lilac.  
"Why does Ten hate me?" she blurted out.  
Lilac sighed. "He thinks you're me, and that I betrayed him for Smoke..."  
"Wow, he _really _must have liked you," Rita said sarcastically.  
Lilac's face turned bright red. "He did, actually." She looked down. "I loved him. That's why I saved him."  
"Did he love you?" Rita knew how she must feel.  
Lilac nodded. "That's why he's feeling so hurt.." She looked back up at Rita. "Please don't blame him for what he's doing! It's not his fault! he thinks you're me..."  
Rita nodded. "I'll try my best, really."  
Lilac grinned slightly. "I'll take you back to the physical world, then." She started towards Rita, but Rita stopped her.  
"Wait!" she called.  
Lilac tilted her head.  
"Have you... seen a Vulpix here in there? Or a Lilligant?"  
Lilac shook her head. "Victoria... Is still wandering the halls of The Game."  
That sent shivers down Rita's spine.  
"And Lilligant is trapped in the Spirit World. Guardians reside there. They can only come here when they've completed their duty," Lilac explained.  
"And Victoria?" Rita asked. "Why is she stuck in the physical world?"  
"Usually souls are trapped there because of up sessions they haven't gotten over, or unfinished... duties."  
Rita tilted her head. "Duties?"  
_Those paw steps I heard before... They must have been Vicky's..._  
Lilac nodded. "Things she wasn't done with, or things she wants to complete."  
Rita was still confused, but shrugged anyway. "Is there a way to contact her?"  
"She appears at random, and you hear her at random. I think she's with Smoke now, actually."  
Rita nodded urgently. "Take me home. I need to snap Smoke out of his hypnotism before someone finds him in front of my body." _And maybe I'll have the chance to talk to Vicky..._  
Lilac smiled, walking towards Rita once more. "Very well." She rested her chin on top of Rita's head.  
"Thank you, Lilac."  
"No problem," Lilac replied, grinning. "Take care of my body. Don't break it."  
Rita smiled. "I won't."  
A flash of white light covered Rita's vision, and in just a second she was lying on the floor in her and Team Resurrect's room. Lilac was gone.  
Pain rippled through her side where Smoke had stabbed her. She blinked open her eyes to see Smoke staring down at her. She scrambled to her feet, backing into the corner, not wanting Smoke to kill her again.  
"Rita?!" Smoke asked, complete panic in his eyes. "You're alive!" His eyes started tearing up. "I'm so sorry Rita! I'm sorry!"  
"...Smoke?" Was she talking to the real Smoke. "You're not... hypnotized anymore?" Her side hurt like Hell, but she didn't care.  
"Hypnotized?" He stepped closer. "Is that what happened?"  
Rita nodded. "Yes. By Rae... or Gengar..."  
Smoke sat down. "I... Remember now..." He looked up. "Shield's hypnotized too!"  
Rita looked past Smoke to look for Shield, but the little Shieldon was gone. Archen was huddling in the corner, while Omanyte stood in th middle of the room, looking around.  
"Where'd he go?" Rita asked.  
Omanyte looked at her, his eyes widening. His gaze said something that looked like, "Zombie!"  
Rita wondered if Omanyte had ever spoken a word in his life.  
Archen lifted her head, staring at Rita. "Ey! She's back from the dead!" She raced towards the door, grabbing Omanyte's arm and whooshing into the hallway shouting, "Zombie Apocalypse!"  
Rita gave a slight laugh. "She's gonna wake up the whole place." She looked back at Smoke, who's head was hanging down. "What's wrong?"  
"I'm so sorry..." He stared back at her. "It's my fault that things ended up like this... I was having doubts about you guys.. so I went to Rae..."  
_He went to Rae? Was he really that angry. _Rita frowned, but then remembered her last words to him. "It's okay. I forgive you."  
He looked up. "How can you?"  
"You're my _partner_, Smoke. While you were hypnotized I was completely lost." She smiled. "I'm sorry for not including you in our conversations. I'll let you in more."  
Smoke grinned. "So what did I miss?"  
There was quite a lot that he missed. Rita sighed, as she started to explain it all, leaving not a single detail out.  
Smoke just nodded, taking it all in. By the time Rita was done, he was fully informed.  
"Lets get some sleep." He glanced down at Rita's wound. "But first, I'm gonna go find a bandage for you." He started towards the door, but turned around. "I'm sure Jet will come to his senses. You should just tell him." Then he left.  
Rita looked at the cotton bed. She hoped that Smoke didn't run into Rae on the way to the medical room. She sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. A lot had happened today, but Rita felt... pure, now that Smoke was back. With his support, she would get through things.  
_And I talked to Lilac... I know fully why Ten hates me. Maybe I can talk some sense into him. _She continued to stare at the yellow lit ceiling. Smoke's being back made everything feel right.

•  
Rita eyes flickered open. Sunlight washed into the room, filling it up with light.  
She glanced at the end of the room. Archen and Omanyte were back on the cotton bed, Archen spread out like a blanket.  
Her wound still hurt, but she still didn't care.  
_I wonder how Plasma's doing..._  
Rita stretched out her front legs. She felt so content.  
"MORNIN' GAME MEMBERS!" Emerald's voice suddenly blasted on the loudspeak, causing Rita to jump. "And... Rescue Camp teams!"  
Rita glared at the speaker in her room. It was worse than Exploud was.  
"PLEASE REPORT TO THE ARENA IF YOU'RE PART OF THE TOURNAMENT!"  
_No breakfast? _Rita stomach growled.  
Smoke stirred beside her. "What about the people that have been disqualified? Why do they have to woken up?" he grunted.  
Rita grinned. It was great to have him back.

The arena's room was less full than it was yesterday.  
Garnet's face appeared on the screen. Lady Pidgeot and Rae were behind him, Rae half-asleep.  
"Good morning ladies and gentlePokemon!" he greeted. "We'll cut straight to the battle! First up, we have Dew versus Mightyena!"  
Rita heard Dew let out an over-dramatic groan.  
"We were just starting to be frieeeeeennnddddssssssss..." he yawned. He put an arm around Mightyena's neck. "Let's go, buddy!"  
Mightyena stepped away, scowling. "I'm not your buddy." He looked at the screen, then back at Dew. "Lets go, then."  
Dew started towards the door. "Wish me luuuuuck~!"  
Rita watched him leave, grinning. He then turned his attention back to Smoke as he entered the room. She walked up to him.  
"Its okay," she whispered. "They don't hate you."  
Smoke grunted. "Yeah but they'll probably think Rae told me to do this or something."  
Rita grinned. "Don't worry."  
She smiled as she spotted Plasma and Moon. _So Plasma is okay..._  
"Hey!" she shouted. "Smoookkkeeeee's back!"  
Her group's heads turned in her direction. All of them except Jet's.  
_I wish you would talk to me... _As the others came to greet Smoke, she walked over to Jet.  
He looked down at her with a surprised gaze as she neared. His eyes immediatly drifted to the bandage on her side. "What happened?" he asked, a hint of worry in his eyes.  
Rita looked at her bandage, then back at Jet. "I died," she replied with a grin.  
Jet narrowed his eyes. "Okay. Sure. What really happened?"  
"You have the right to know," Rita started, "Since you're a human too." She itched the back of her head. "To put it simply, Smoke came out of hypnosis, but before that he killed me."  
Rita felt irritation ripple through her as Jet raised one eyebrow, showing that he didn't believe her.  
"I was in darkness... and I made mental last words to you all..." she continued. "Even Sweetie. Yours was the longest." She looked down, smiling slightly. "Then I met Lilac, and she stopped me from going into the light and took me home."  
Jet looked somewhat worried. "Is that true?"  
Rita nodded. "It sounds fake, I know, but it's real."  
The silver Floatzel didn't look completely convinced, but it was enough for Rita. "What were your... last words to me?"  
Rita looked to the side. _I have to tell him... but I still don't know if he likes me... _"They're last words, aren't they?" she replied cooly. "They're supposed to be for when I'm dying."  
Jet rolled his eyes. "What were Sweetie's?"  
Rita felt jealous that he wanted to know Sweetie's. _I wish we could just have one conversation without her nausiating name popping up!_  
"JETTY!"  
Rita wanted to turn around and smack a hoe.  
Sweetie appeared by PokeGirl22's side, clinging to his arm. She smiled down at him. "Hi, hun!"  
Jet grinned up at her. "Heyo."  
Sweetie frowned when when she spotted Rita. "Why are you talking to her again? Do you know what she called me today?"  
Jet glared at Rita. "No, what?"  
"She called me a stupid ugly, female dog." Sweetie looked at Jet innocently. "She used the real word, but I don't use that kind of potty language."  
"What's your problem, Rita?" Jet asked. "Why can't you just leave her alone?!"  
Rita glared at him back. "I can't believe you believe _her _over _me_!" she shouted. "You wanna know my 'last words' to you?" she asked in anger. "I quote: I've been spending most of my time trying to make you jealous. Now that I'm dead, Sweetie will finally get you... If that's what you want, I'm happy for you. Hell, you can't even hear me." She took a breath. "But I never got to tell you..." Her cheeks burned as she remembered the last three words. She looked straight into his surprised eyes. "I love you." Her eyes started to tear up as she glanced at Sweetie. "And yours was that I hate your face!" Without looking at his reaction, she stormed off into the hallway.

Daisy walked towards

Rae sat down in the hallway, yawning. _I wish the tournament didn't start to damn early. _He felt offended when Rita whooshed past him without even saying 'hi'.  
"Hey!" he called to her. "Where are you going?"  
She turned around. Rae could see wet spots below her eyes.  
_Dammit I missed something good!_  
Rita glared at him. "What do _you _want?" she asked. "Aren't you supposed to be in the arena?"  
Rae put on an offended look. "Don't look at me in that tone of voice!" He stretched his arms above his head. "And it's utterly _boring _in there. There's more excitement in this hallway." He tilted his head, grinning. "Have you been _crying_?"  
Rita narrowed her eyes. "No!"  
Rae laughed. "You have been!" He appeared beside her.

Suddenly, Daisy ate

"Tell me what's wrong," Rae said, putting his arm around her. "We're buds, right? You can talk to _me_."  
Rita glared at him again. "It's none of your business." She pulled away.  
"Is it about Jet?" Rae asked, a hint of sneer in his voice.  
_I wish I had been there!_  
Rita turned around. "How did you know?"  
Rae rolled his eyes. "You think nobody notices you staring at him? And how mad you look when he's with Sweetie?"  
Rita's face flushed.  
Rae let out a laugh. "What'd Jet do this time?"  
"None of your business," Rita growled.  
"But Ritaaaaaa," Rae persisted, "I need something to entertain me."  
He then finally noticed that she shouldn't be alive.  
_What? I thought Smoke would have taken care of her! _He scowled. _That untrustworthy rodent._  
"Shut up," Rita snapped. "You aren't involved."  
"Why are you alive?" Rae asked, staring at her bandage. "You should be dead. Why aren't you dead?"  
_Gengar's gonna be so mad..._  
Thinking about the huge purple Pokemon scared him, but reassured him at the same time.  
_Gengar can help... He's always been there. He'll be there forever._  
Rita narrowed her eyes. "So you did tell Smoke to kill me, then?" She looked down at her bandage. "This hurts like Hell."  
Rae snorted. "You shouldn't even feel it because you're supposed to be dead," he growled."  
"Why do you want me dead?" Rita asked innocently.  
If Smoke couldn't do it, he'd do it himself. The Delcatty was starting to get on his nerves, even if they were good friends once. _Once... But that time is over now. If I could go back to it I would... _He looked at Rita. _Maybe. Back then was when... Gengar wasn't power hungry. _But they were doing it for a good cause. If the world was destroyed, Arceus could make a new, pure one, where nobody got hurt. _And nobody died. _Rae scowled at the painful memory. _Nobody would be an outcast. Everyone would be equal. We could have a new species; a new, pure race of humans. _  
"Because you're getting in my way," Rae answered. "You, and your pack of humans. Mightyena and I are simply trying to eliminate you so Gengar can work in peace." He looked again at her bandage. "So you didn't die? It's a shame, really." He smiled innocently. "But then again, I can toy with you some more."  
"Actually," Rita started, cutting off Rae's happy thoughts about strangleing Rita, "I did die."  
Rae raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you still here?"  
"Ten's former partner stopped me from going. She told me I have a duty here, so I can't die yet," Rita explained.  
_Why is Lilac stepping in all of the sudden? _His smile slipped to a frown. _If she appears to Ten... he won't be on our side anymore... _He looked at the wall. _I'll have to get Gengar to infiltrate Heaven or something... _He looked back at Rita. _But is that even possible? _he wondered. "That really sucks..." Rae sighed. "Lemme guess," he started, "As you slowly walked towards the light in slow motion like a movie, you thought of things you've never said to people?" He grinned.  
"Yes. That's exactly what I did."  
"And I bet mine was a love story about how much you loved me, and how we should have been together forever and that you would have joined my side," Rae said sarcastically. "Right?"  
"Of _course_." Rita rolled her eyes. "No."  
Rae grinned. "_Really_?!" he asked in fake astonishment. "Then what was it?"  
Rita tilted her head, staring at him.  
Rae felt creeped out. "Stop that, you're creepy."  
"You don't need to know," she finally said. "At least not until I'm dying."  
"I hope that's soon."  
_Stupid pest..._  
"It won't be soon now that we've found all five," Rita suddenly said.  
Rae's eyes widened. _What? _"Mightyena isn't one of them, right?"  
Rita shrugged. "Whatever you think."  
_Was Gengar right? _Rae scowled at her. _Mightyena might need to be disposed of... _"I'm leaving," he told her. "Good luck with your boy problems." Rae left without looking back at her, wanting to go to a place where he could talk to Gengar without being interrupted.  
He headed down the hallway, opposite of where Rita was going.  
_Gengar. Gengar I need to talk to you. _he pleaded. _Houston, we have a problem._

"The next round will be Granbull VS Persian!" Garnet's voice sounded.  
"What a desperate loser!" Sweetie crowed.  
Jet continued to stare the way Rita had gone. Had she really meant that? He felt his face grow hot. _I'm such an idiot! _Rita had felt the same way about him all along, and he had been completely ignoring her. Rita's flirting with Persian, and her kissing Dew was just a way to tell him that she liked him too. He glanced at Sweetie. _But.. Rita tried- _He cut himself off. This was exactly what Rita was talking about. _Is Sweetie... lying? _He looked at her. _She can't be... But Rita... _He stared in the direction Rita had went.  
_I loved Rita first._  
"What are you staring at, Jetty?"  
Sweetie's voice brought him back.  
"For our next battle, we have Granbull VS Persian!" Garnet sounded.  
He stared at Sweetie. _I'm such an idiot..._  
"Jet, what did you do?!"  
Jet turned to the sound of Dew's voice. "What?" he asked.  
"Rita's roaming the hallways," Dew replied. He frowned. "What did you say to her?" he asked.  
Jet's gaze drifted to the ground. "It's more like, "What did she say to me?"" he replied.  
Sweetie frowned, jealousy flashing through her eyes. "Jetty, hun," she started. "You don't actually believe that feline, do you?"  
Jet stared at her. "You don't actually think she could make that up?"  
"She's a good liar!" Sweetie persisted. "She's lying!"  
Dew snorted. "Oh please." He turned his head to Jet. "You really believe this rabbit over Rita?" he asked in disbelief. "Whatever she said, she's telling the truth." He narrowed his eyes at Jet. "She likes you, and you like her!"  
"You're the one locking lips with her, otter," Sweetie sneered. "Why don't you go be her little boyfriend, and leave me and Jetty alone?"  
"First off," Dew started, "That's my name for Jet, not yours! And second..." He threw her a dirty glare. "Jet loves Rita, not you!" he growled. He threw the same glare at Jet. "Go talk to Rita, because I'm not talking to you until you get rid of rabbit-face!" he yelled at him, pointing at Sweetie.  
**{Insert loud applause here}**  
Jet stared back at Dew. He didn't know Dew could ever get angry. It just wasn't in his blood.  
_Dew's serious..._  
Jet looked over at Sweetie, then planted his head in his palms. _She's been lying to me this whole time, and I've believed her... _  
"Double face-palm, yes," Dew awknowledged. The Dewott twitched his whiskers. "Finally realize, eh Jetty?"  
"Stop it, otter!" Sweetie snapped. "You're hurting him!" She grabbed his arm, clinging to it.  
Immediatley Jet pulled away. He had been such an idiot! How could he believe Sweetie over Rita? "You've been lying to me, haven't you Sweetie?" Jet asked.  
Sweetie was quiet for a bit before answering. Her eyes started to tear up. "No! Why would you think that?" She started to fake-cry. "I can't believe you, after all we've been through!" With that, the Lopunny bolted out of the room, leaving others staring after her.  
"Well, that's two girls you've chased out of the room, Jet," Crobat pointed out, grinning. "You really aren't good with chicks, are you?"  
Jet glared at him. "Like you're any better."  
Crobat shrugged. "Better than you."  
"I didn't mean to make her cry..." Jet sighed. Was Sweetie lying, or was she telling the truth? Was Rita telling the truth? Everything was too confusing. He didn't know who to believe.  
_I hope Rita was telling the truth. _Would she _really _be happy for him if he chose Sweetie? He turned to Dew for advice, but his teammate was gone. _Thanks for stickin' round, Dewwy. _Jet thought to himself.  
"And the winner is Persian!" the TV sounded.  
_Persian..._  
There was still that feline was the fifth to their happy little group, but Persian was being stubborn and not choosing sides.  
And time was _really _starting to run out.

•  
By the time Rita returned to the arena room, it was nine-thirty A.M and Jet was battling.  
She didn't want to see the silver Floatzel, not after confessing her feelings to him.  
To pass the time, she decided she would talk to Persian. She grabbed Flower, Plasma, Rici, and Smoke, knowing how persuasive Plasma could be, and Rici because he had never fully met Persian. Flower was there because her kindness might be able to slap some sense into Persian, while Smoke was there simply because of Rita's promise.  
Persian raised one eyebrow as he spotted them, glancing to the side and rolling his eyes. "Not another group..." he muttered.  
Plasma tilted her head. "We're not the first ones? What a shame."  
"Nope," Persian replied, his expression unreadable, "You've been coming in flocks."  
"Who was here before us?" Smoke asked.  
Persian stared blankly at him. "First group of you guys were those two from Team Shade." He let out an irritated sigh. "All Night did was threaten to cut me in half, while Crobat occasionally threw in insults."  
_Looks like Night and Crobat aren't the... persuasive types._  
Plasma huffed. "That's all he's good at."  
"Night was pretty frightening, actually." Persian shuddered. "The second group was Team Water Pulse. Jet and Vapor actually tried to talk to me, while all Dew did the whole time was grovel at my feet." He shot a glance at Rita. "I've heard a couple things flying around," he stated. "Are you two really together?"  
Rita gave a slight laugh. "What? No." Dew really had stirred up rumors.  
Persian raised an eyebrow. "Then you be careful. Rumors are dangerous." He looked back at everyone. "And that's it. I hope you guys have better excuses on why I should join you."  
Rici spoke first. "Does your team know you're the fifth?" he questioned.  
Persian perked his ears up. "No."  
"Maybe they could persuade him better than we can," Flower pointed out, glancing at Rita.  
Persian abrubtly stood up. "Don't tell my team!" he commanded.  
"Don't tell us what?"  
Rita turned around to see the rest of Team Z; Wigglytuff and Dragonite.  
Rita met Wigglytuff's creepy gaze. _Not him again..._  
"Ritaaaaa!" he cooed. "Good to see you again! Congrats on the new boyfriend!"  
Rita knew he meant Dew. "We're not-"  
"So, tell us what?" Dragonite cut her off, tapping his foot impatiently. He narrowed his eyes as Persian. "We don't have any secrets, Persian."  
"Persian's from the human world!" Plasma announced.  
Dragonite's expression showed confusment. "What?"  
"Don't mind her," Persian started. "She's been taking some serious drugs-"  
"He hasn't told you yet?" Smoke asked in fake astonishment, cutting Persian off. "He's from the human world."  
"And he's going to help us save the world," Rici added, narroing his eyes at Persian.  
"Watcha mean?" Wigglytuff asked, giving a bounce.  
Rita looked at the two. "Me, Rici, Jet, and Mightyena are from the human world," she explained. "It's hard to describe, but Persian is the fifth member of our group, but he refuses to join us. Rae is evil and want to destroy the world and-"  
"_What_?" Dragonite asked in disbelief. "_Rae_? Please. If you're going to play a game, don't make Rae the bad guy. He's too good for that."  
"Just _listen_!" Rita snapped. "You need to trust us! Persian _knows _he's the fifth, but he's refusing to choose sides! Rae hates humans, so he's planning to destroy the human world, as well as the Pokemon world."  
"Rae-Rae wants to kill us all?" Wigglytuff asked. "That's kinda hard to believe."  
"He's doing it so he can make the world pure again!" Persian hissed. "There's nothing bad in that!"  
"As long as living creatures exist, there will never be such thing as a _pure world_," Rici said.  
Everyone's heads turned towards him.  
He shrugged. "If you're living it means you're feeling. If you're feeling, you have emotions," he explained. "If we didn't have emotions, then we would all be nothing. What kind of world would that be?"  
Rita didn't know Rici was so smart. _That's actually pretty deep... He should be a motivational speaker or something. _  
Persian was quiet. "Arceus could make it so there are no bad emotions."  
Rici shook his head. "Then what kind of world would it be, really? If you don't have bad emotions, are you really living?"  
There was a silence between them. "Fine... I'll think about it." He started towards the hallway, turning his head around once to face them. "But don't expect me to make my decision today, tomorrow, or the next day," he told them blankly, then left.  
"Our next battle will be Vapor VS Electrode!"  
"Where is he going, anyway?" Plasma asked. "Is there really a destination?"  
"Where ever the wind takes him!" Wigglytuff said poetically.  
"Sorry about him," Dragonite apoligized. "He's not very friendly."  
"Yeah, I've noticed that," Plasma snorted.  
"Is all that about the world really true?" Dragonite asked.  
Rita nodded. "Sure is."  
"And the winner is Vapor!" Garnet announced.  
Rita sighed a sigh of relief. That should be the last battle in the third rounds.  
"Because of our odd number of contestants," Garnet started, "We're going to have an extra battle!"  
Smoke sighed in irritation. "When will this be _over_?"  
"We'll have a random drawing of the contestants that have lost," Garnet started. "Those two will both face off, and whoever wins will proceed to the next round."  
Emerald appeared with a glass jar full of white slips as the camera zoomed in on her. Rita could see Lady Pidgeot and Rae in the background, Rae looking like he wanted to kill himself because of the extra round.  
Garnet stuck his blobby-looking hand into the jar, grabbing a white slip of paper. Rita waited for him to read it. _Please don't be Sweetie. Please don't be Sweetie._  
"The first is Dragonite, the leader of the Rescue Camp's Team Z!" Garnet announced. The crowd started clapping.  
Dragonite grinned. "Alright! Too bad Dew lost to Mightyena, though. I'd like to get him back..."  
Garnet reached in the jar again.  
_Please don't be Sweetie. Please don't be Sweetie._  
Garnet picked out the slip, scanning it. "The second is Sweetie!"  
_What the Hell._  
A picture of Dragonite and Sweetie appeared on the screen, with a 'VS' symbol in the middle.  
Dragonite chuckled. "She's kinda cute."  
Rita flattened her ears. _No. She's a stupid rodent. _She sighed, hoping Dragonite could beat Sweetie.

"We will begin our fourth rounds!" Garnet announced. "I hope you are all ready for the excitement as we near our final battles!"  
Rita definetley wasn't. Sweetie had managed to beat Dragonite simply by using attract, then finishing him with multiple attacks. Rita pouted on the bench, muttering things about how much she hated Sweetie's face, and that she should be killed, cloned, then have all her clones killed. Sitting next to her was Smoke and Vapor, while Moon, Dew, Crobat, and Night sat behind her. Plasma sat in front of her, her arm in a sling Rita hadn't noticed before. Claudia, an Audino, had givin it to her. She had no idea where Jet was.  
"For our first battle," Garnet started, "We have Ten VS Crobat!"  
Plasma turned around to face Crobat. "Rip his insides out!" she growled.  
Crobat nodded, scowling. "I'll kill him for what he did." He quickly glanced around nervously, realizing what he just said. "N-Not because of..." He turned his head away, bolting out of the room.  
"What a weirdo," Plasma remarked. "He's so hard to figure out."  
Rita hoped Crobat could win. She sure didn't want to fight Ten, even though Lilac had told her to forgive him.  
_He'd destroy me. _Rita averted her eyes back to the TV screen.  
"BEGIN!" Garnet shouted.  
Immediatly Ten sprung into action, coming at Crobat with night slash. Crobat dodged it, using air slash on Ten  
_I hope he wins._  
Smoke stirred next to her. She looked at him. He had a worried look on his face.  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
He shrugged. "It just feels like... something's gonna happen. Not to Crobat... but to everyone..."  
"That was random." Rita grinned. "You're just being paranoid. Everything's fine, aside from the world about to be destroyed."  
Smoke half-grinned. "Yeah. Probably. Everything's got me spooked, lately." He shrugged. "I'm probably just imagining things."

•  
_"Those two, yes, they've finally been hypnotized." _Gengar replied.  
_Great. _Rae smiled. _So how long before they get here, do you think? A day? Two days?_  
_"A couple hours, at the least."_  
Rae nodded._ How are they gonna get here so fast?_  
Rae could tell Gengar was frowning. "_What? Don't you trust me? I was right about Mightyena!"_  
_O-Of course! How could I not? You're the only one I've ever trusted..._  
_"Just make sure that they're all trapped inside when they arrive," _Gengar pointed out. _"Or most of it will just be a waste."_  
Rae nodded. _Right. But I'll make sure to get out our recruits. Ten especially._  
Rae knew Gengar had a suspicious look on his face. _"About Ten... I don't think you can fully trust him."_  
Rae tilted his head. _Why not? Just last night, he brought us two new recruits._  
Gengar sighed. _Just trust me on this. Stop questioning me. Or I'll hurt you._  
A silent pain rippled through Rae's body. _Okay, okay! I just wanted to know why you didn't trust Ten._  
_"You _always_ have to question, don't you?" _Gengar sighed again. "_Do you really think Ten would kill his own partner?"_  
_But Rita's not his partner. Lilac is._  
_"That's not what Ten believes," _Gengar said. _"To Ten, Rita is Lilac, and Rita doesn't exist. To him, his partner is back. He may not act like it, but he's probably overflowing with happiness that his partner is back from the dead. Do you really think he'd kill her again?"_  
Rae sighed. He had a point.  
_"Of course I have a point," _Gengar snapped. _"Don't try to hide your thoughts from me. I saved you! Apologize!"_  
_I'm sorry, Gengar... _Rae apoligized. _I didn't mean to show you any disrespect. It's just-_  
A wave of pain rippled through his body once again. He wished Gengar wouldn't do that. Clutching his head in his hands, he started panting. _I'm sorry, Gengar. _He decided to change the subject. _Have you taken care of Heaven yet?_  
_"Nope. There's a barrier." _He sighed. "_I can't get around it."_  
_And the Spirit World?_  
_"Under control. Dusknoir has everyone locke up...Except Lilligant's being a nuisance. She's tried to escape several times, and has managed to once. That was when she warned Rita."_  
"And the winner is Ten!"  
Rae's eyes drifted to the battle field. Crobat lay sprawled out on the ground, not moving. Ten had really got him good.  
_Wow... Ten's really strong..._  
_"Yes, but you're stronger," _Gengar hissed. _"You could take him out in seconds."_  
Rae shrugged. _Yeah._  
_"Thank me when I compliment you!"_  
Another pain wave crashed over Rae's body. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. "Ack!" He felt Gengar's presence drift away. _I can't think for myself when he's around..._  
"Rae, really," Lady Pidgeot sighed. "Go get some pills for that."  
Rae looked up at her, grinning slightly. "It was probably just something I ate," he lied. "No biggy."  
Lady Pidgeot shot him a puzzled look, before turning back to the arena.  
Pidgey, who was atop her head, squinted at him. "You're really, really weird, Rae. You know that?"  
_Die._  
Rae gave a fake, convincing laugh. "I know, I know. But so are you!"  
"What?" Pidgey sounded offended. "How?"  
Rae could think of a million reasons. _You're her son, you're too tiny, you're more annoying than Emerald, you're voice is too squeaky. _"How many reasons do you want?" Rae asked. "I can give you a lot."  
"Rae!" Lady Pidgeot hushed. "Don't torment my child. He's all I have."  
Rae narrowed his eyes at the small bird as his mother turned away. _I'm gonna get you._  
"Don't threaten him, either." Lady Pidgeot continued to stare straight ahead.  
Rae frowned. _Creepy._  
"For our next match," Garnet started, "We have Rita VS Trinity!"  
Rae grinned. He had to see this. Trinity had been one of the two Pokemon that Ten brought him last night. Ten had managed to fully convince Trinity and Tamata that Rita was Lilac, and that she was ignoring them. There had been less than no effort needed on his part, besides telling Trinity and Tamata that they needed to obey him no matter what, in order t get Lilac back.  
The two were working like puppets.  
Rae smiled as he watched Rita and Trinity enter the arena at the same time.  
_Random matchups do indeed go well sometimes. _  
Maybe the Battle Tournament wouldn't be so boring from here on out.  
"Begin!" Garnet yelled.  
Trinity started off with a flamethrower, which Rita easily dodged.  
_C'mon! I wanna see the Delcatty get hurt!_  
"I don't know why you're running, Lilac!" Trinity shouted at her. "We used to be the best of buds!" She ran up closer to Rita as she unleased a fire spin. "What happened?"  
Rae watched in excitement as a look of puzzlement spread across Rita's face as she was thrown back by the fire spin.  
Rita stood up, looking confused. "Not you too..." She stared back at Trinity. "I'm not Lilac!"  
Trinity frowned. "You look like her, _exactly _like her!" she growled, while using another flamethrower.  
Rita countered with blizzard. It quickly blew back Trinity's flametheower, hitting her smack in the face. The Flareon was thrown back, obviously taking serious damage from Rita's blizzard.  
_I wonder why 'moves that shouldn't cause damage are causing damage' came with the space disortion... What did Gengar call it again? R_ae thought for a moment. _That's right. He called it the Reverse Effect. I'll have to talk to him about it later..._  
"I can't believe you would attack your friend," Trinity said, obviously hurt. "Ten was right. You have changed."  
Rita used blizzard again. "I'm _not _Lilac!"  
Trinity frowned. "I wish you wouldn't lie to me, either." Her expression showed hurt as the blizzard smacked her, causing her to faint.  
"And the winner is Rita!" Garnet announced into the microphone.  
The crowd erupted into a cheer.  
_Awww. That was too fast._  
"Why are so many competetors calling her Lilac?" Lady Pidgeot asked.  
Rae shrugged. "I dunno," he lied. "I guess it's a nickname."  
"I wanna nickname!" Pidgey squeaked. "Mommy, can I be Darth Vader?"  
Lady Pidgeot looked up at him, laughing. "Sure, honey."  
_Weirdos._  
"Rita's probably getting called Lilac because she looks like her."  
Rae turned towards Ruby, who was staring at them oddly.  
_Double weirdo._  
"Who was Lilac?" Lady Pidgeot asked, ruffling her gold feathers.  
"She was Ten's old partner," Ruby explained. "She was friends with quite a few members here."  
"What happened to her?"  
The green Espeon frowned. "She was killed on a mission," Ruby replied sadly. "It depressed everyone, but it depressed Ten the most." She sighed. "Your member Rita looks exactly like Lilac, so that's probably causing a disturbance."  
Lady Pidgeot looked worried. "Do you think any of them are mad at Rita, then? Like she abandoned them? Ten must be dying..."  
Ruby shrugged. "I hope not, but for the semi-finals, Ten and Rita's match will be the first one."  
Rae felt tingly with excitement. _That will probably be the most interesting... Ten VS Rita. It's like a showdown you see in a movie._  
"How do you know?" Lady Pidgeot asked. "I thought the matches were at random."  
Ruby giggled. "We like to give it the appearance of that," she replied. "But really, it's just a normal, simple tournament procedure. For example, Ten won his match against Crobat, so Ten will be moving on to the next round."  
Lady Pidgeot nodded. "Right."  
"Rita won _her _match against Trinity, so Rita will be moving on." She took a breath. "Rita and Ten were the first two winners of the fourth rounds, so they will be the first battle of the semi-finals. "The next two battles are Night versus Mightyena, and Thorna versus Persian," she explained. "Lets say...If Mightyena wins, he will proceed to the next round. If Persian wins, he will proceed also. The two will both then proceed to battle it out in the semi-finals, dig?"  
Rae narrowed his eyes. _Dig? The Helll?_  
Lady Pidgeot nodded. "Alright, I see."  
"Ruby, sit down!" Garnet scolded, picking up his microphone, and staring out at the crowd. "Next, we have Mightyenaaaaaa versus Night!"  
Rae grinned again. The tournament was getting more interesting now.

Rae yawned as he watched Wigglytuff and Vapor's battle, feeling tired again. He had suddenly started worrying about who the fifth of Rita's group was as soon as Persian and Thorna's match started. He had tried to contact Gengar, but the huge purple Pokemon didn't answer. Rae figured he was probably doing something in the Spirit World.  
_Or finally locating Arceus. _  
They still had yet to find out where the god Pokemon resided. It had come to Rae's attention that Mew, the ancestor of all Pokemon, might need hypnotizing as well. But the hard part was that finding Mew would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Mew could transform into anything it wanted, just like Ditto. She could be anywhere.  
Wigglytuff inflated himself, a goofy-looking grin on his face. Vapor stared up at him before shooting him down with water gun.  
Wigglytuff fell to the ground, but immediatly got back up to use shadow ball.  
Vapor swiftly dodged, doing a lovely spin and using water pulse- her team's theme move.  
Having taken multiple attacks, Wigglytuff passed out after being hit by water pulse.  
"And the winner is Vapor!" Garnet cheered.  
Rae stared at the battlefield. _Hopefully, Gengar can get Dialga and Palkia to find Arceus. It shouldn't take too long, I hope._  
"For our next battle," Garnet started, "We have Jet versus Sweetie!"

•  
Jet stared at the TV screen as he heard his name.  
He was in The Game's main lobby, wanting to get away from everything. Unfortunately, Garnet, Ruby, and Emerald had turned on every TV in every room, so he couldn't get quiet anywhere. He had watched Ten beat Crobat, Rita beat Trinity, Night beat Mightyena, to his surprise, Persian beat Thorna, and finally, Vapor beat Wigglytuff. As each battle went by, he hoped Sweetie's name would be called for someone else, but when it didn't, he wasn't surprised when it came down to him and Sweetie.  
Letting out a sigh, he continued to the arena.  
When Jet arrived in the arena, Sweetie was standing there too, a look of sorrow on her face.  
"Jetty!" she pleaded. "They want us to fight! Isnt that awful?" She looked around desperately. "Forfiet!"  
Jet stared at her in disbelief. "Forfiet, eh?" He shook his head. "I'm no coward, so I'm not really up to looking like one."  
"Begin!" Garnet commanded.  
Sweetie frowned as she came at him with Dizzy Punch.  
He easily dodged, coming back at her with aqua jet. _I'm not sure if you're lying or not..._  
Sweetie used bounce, and this time Jet waas unable to dodge. He was sent flying as he hit his head on the ground, causing his head to spin.  
Sweetie let out a fake screech. "Jetty, please, lets not fight!"  
Jet frowned. "I don't want to fight either, but a battle's a battle..." His vision started to double. _Ow..._  
"I can't believe you!" she cried. "I thought you loved me."  
"I don't know..." Honestly, Jet couldn't feel that way about her. As much as he had tried to replace his feelings for Rita with feelings for Sweetie, he couldn't. Rita was constantly on his mind, which drove him insane.  
Sweetie fell to the ground as Jet used water pulse. She stood up. "Jet, please don't hurt me," she pleaded. "I love you!"  
Those words again. Why did they keep popping up?  
Jet just stared at her. _I don't even know... A battle is still a battle..._  
"I'll prove it to you!" Sweetie persisted, jealousy in her eyes as if she knew he was comparing her to Rita. She slipped her hand in the air. "I forfiet!"  
Jet stared at her in surprise. _Is she a coward, or does she really love me?_  
Garnet shrugged. "Fine by me. Another short battle..." He sighed. "Alright, the winner is Jet!"  
Jet placed his hand on his head as he exited the arena, confused. _What just happened? _As he walked into the hallway, he felt something grab him from behind.  
Sweetie grabbed hold of his paws in her own. "Jetty," she started, "I know you're feeling _really_, really conflicted about me and Rita and what-not." She smiled. "But you really don't need to worry, because soon Rita won't be in the way of you and me anymore!"  
Jet stared at her. "You and me? There is no 'You and me'..."  
"But there is, Jet, there is!" Sweetie persisted. "Rita's battling Ten next, and Ten's really strong!" she smiled. "I know. I've battled him before. If he can't take care of her, I will, okay?"  
Jet's head was still pounding, so he didn't fully take in what she had said.  
"I'll take care of her, okay hun? I love you!" She let his arms drop to his side, and scampered away.  
Jet stared after her.  
_What?_

•  
"Ladies and gentlePokemon, it's now finally time for the semi-finals!"  
The crowd roared with the cries of different Pokemon.  
Rita stared at the TV screen. She was starting to feel very nervous as a sudden desire to win overpowered her. She had watched Sweetie forfiet for Jet, claiming that she 'loved him' but Rita knew it was a lie.  
_I got this! If I win, Jet might take notice of me and congradulate me... _The thought of speaking to the leader of Team Waterpulse again somewhat frightened her. Since she had told him, whenever they talked it would be extremely awkward.  
"To start off our semi-finals we have Rita from the Rescue Camp..."  
Rita waited impatiently for her opponents name. _I sure hope it's not Ten... _She shrugged. _Nah... it's a one in five chance, not counting me. What are the odds of me facing Ten?_  
"...Battling our own Ten!"  
Rita's stomach dropped. _No. No way. I'm forfieting. _  
"Rita!" Plasma cried, squishing her friend in a hug. "I'll never forget you! You'll be in my heart forever!"  
"It's not like she's gonna die... is it?" Moon asked, a hint of fear in her voice.  
PokeGirl22 shook her head. "No... At least I hope not." _I can't forfiet... I'll seem weak... _She took the biggest breath she could. "Wish me luck!"  
Dew saluted her. "Aye-eye, captain!  
Rita stepped into the arena, where Ten's angry gaze awaited her.  
He scowled at her. "This is what I've been waiting for, Lilac," the Weavile sneered.  
Rita frowned. She was scared to death, but she couldn't let Ten see that. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not Lilac?"  
"Begin!"  
Ten immediatly started off with night slash, as normal. Fortunately, Rita was prepared for it as she dodged out of the way.  
Ten smirked. "Thought you might try that." He swung back around at her, using slash.  
Rita felt her skin rip open as he used the terrifying move. She rolled backwards, but managed to stay on her feet.  
_Ten's a Weavile... Weaviles are dark and ice type Pokemon so... with the space disortion going on, my blizzard will do double the damage!_  
She fired her blizzard attack at him, praying to Arceus that it worked. It sent dirt and dust in the air, obscuring her vision. As the dust cleared, she noticed Ten was nowhere to be seen.  
_Where did he-_  
She let out a screech of pain as Ten slashed her side she had been stabbed in. The bandage tore off, revealing her ugly wound.  
Ten's eyes widened as he saw it. "How'd you get that?"  
_Was that... worry in his voice?_  
"I got it when Smoke stabbed me, and Lilac brought me back to life," Rita replied.  
Ten scowled at her. "Don't talk in third person like you're not her!" he growled, lunging at her.  
Rita moved out of the way just in time, panting.  
"Ten," Rita started, "I know you're mad at Lilac, but don't be! She didn't do anything!"  
Ten used shadow ball, something she didn't expect. She was hit square in the face as she was sent flying backwards.  
As Rita stood up, feeling dizzy, she felt Ten's slash attack rip open her other side. She clutched her side as Ten came at her over and over with his slash and night slash attacks. She couldn't attack back, he was so fast. She felt wounds open up all over her body. It hurt like Hell.  
Ten didn't stop. He continueosly slashed her, giving her no time to move.  
_I've got to do something, or I'm dead!_  
Rita opened her eyes just in time to see Ten come at her face. As soon as he was a few inches away, she unleashed thunderbolt on him. _I've got to stay focused! _  
Ten was clearly surprised by her comback. He stared at her for a minute. "You were a little slow with that, Lilac. Usually you would have figured it out much quicker..."  
"It's because I'm not Lilac!" Rita snapped, before sending blizzard at him again.  
This time he was ready, and countered with ice shard.  
His ice shard was more powerful than her blizzard, as it overpowered it, hitting Rita and sending her backwards.  
Standing up, Rita tried to get a good perspective on Ten's location. Her vision was blurry from taking so many hits, she started to feel weak. Her breathing became fast and rapid.  
Ten appeared in front of her. "I hate hurting you."  
"Than don't," Rita rasped.  
"It's the only way to get you back..." Ten whispered. "That's what Rae told me..."  
"Rae's a liar!" Rita hissed. "You can't get Lilac back, Ten. I know you loved her, but she's dead! You can't live in the past!" Rita couldn't take it anymore. She felt her knees about to give out. Blood streamed down her sides, all over her body.  
He stared at her as a silence filled the air. His face turned from sorrow to realization as he stared at her. "You're not Lilac... are you?" he breathed, barely loud enough for her to hear.  
Rita half-smiled. "That's right... I'm Rita." Her vision darkened as she fell to the ground.  
_Finally... I reached him, Lilac! I don't know how I did it, but I reached him!_

•  
It was about an hour before Rita woke up.  
Plasma, Moon, Smoke, Flower, Vapor, and Dew sat in the infirmary with her. The nurse, Audino, had informed her that she had simply missed two, long and extrodinary battles. The battle after her was Night and Persian, which Night won, much to Rita happiness, and then finally Jet and Vapor, which ended in a tie. The final battle was half way through.  
Rita glanced up at the TV screen. Night and Ten were battling it out.  
Rita may have been the only one that noticed, but it looked like Ten was more at ease knowing that his partner didn't abandon him.  
She also noticed that he didn't fight as hard.  
"And the winner is Night!" Garnet sounded. "Night is this month's Game Battle Tournament winner!"  
The crowd erupted into hoots and screams. Rita thought the noise they were making could be heard all the way to the Human World.  
"As promised," Garnet started, "The tournament winner gets to battle Ruby, Emerald, and then me," he announced.  
That sent the crowd into a frenzy.  
"But-" he started, "Because of our crazy time schedule, we can't do that. We need to get back to rescue missions and dungeon exploration. We have certain missions that can't be put off any longer."  
The crowd boo'ed.  
Garnet frowned. "We hope you enjoyed yourselves!"  
Ruby and Emerald appeared next to him. "We'll see you next month!" the three said at once. The TV flickered off.  
Plasma clasped her hands together. "Well, that was interesting."  
Rita smiled, her gaze falling on Smoke. He looked tense. "What's wrong?"  
He glanced wildly at her. "We have to get out of here!"  
Everyone else threw him confused looks.  
Nurse Audino looked at him funny. "How come?"  
"Something's going to happen.. I just know-" A huge explosion-like-noise cut him off, followed by terrified screams.  
An alarm buzzed overhead as a recording of Emerald's voice buzzed on the loudspeaker. "ATTENTION GAME MEMBERS!" it shouted. "THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. EVERYONE IS TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATLEY!"  
"What's happening?!" Moon shouted over the noise.  
"It's our automatic alarm!" Nurse Audino shouted back. "It's supposed to go off if there's a serious threat! Get out, everyone!" She shooed everyone out of the room.  
Rita climbed out of the bed, following everyone to the main lobby, and finally the exit. "What's happening?!" she shouted over everyone.  
"I don't know!" Plasma shouted back.  
_What's going on?!_

•  
Rae stood outside The Game, under a nearby oak tree. He held a yellow remote control in his hand, with a single green button on it.  
_Latias set off her bomb too early! _He growled. _Now they're gonna evacuate before Gengar has the chance to give us the signal! He had the perfect time set, too!_  
Rae perked his head up, looking overhead to see a purple cloud float by, then quickly disappear.  
_That's the signal! _He grinned. _Buh-bye, The Game. _Smirking sadistically, he pressed the button on his control.  
Two explosions went off in the left and right sides of the Game building.  
"Ha ha..."  
_We won't have to worry about humans getting in our way, anymore!_


	24. Chapter 23: Froslass's Return

Rita's ears rang. She had barely gotten out in time. The noise was so loud in so sudden, it had sent everyone into a state of panic. When the first bomb went off, it had automatically sounded the alarm. Pokemon rushed out of the building, and about a minute later, the other two bombs went off.

There had still been a lot of Pokemon trapped inside.

Rita sat on a patch of grass, far from what used to be the game.

_Why is this happening here, too?!_

Rita hoped with all her heart that all her friends were okay, but what were the odds of that? She had been seperated from everybody in the panic. The last she saw of any of her friends was Plasma, and that was before she reached the exit. She knew Rici had been upstairs on the left side of the building. He wouldn't have gotten out in time before the bomb on that side went off. And the Pokemon that were in the middle of the building, where the first bomb went off... she didn't even want to think about it.

She stared at The Game. It looked worse than the Rescue Camp looked. There was nothing left of it but dust and rubble.

"Rae..." she growled. "I know you did this."

Screams continued to echo throughout the sky.

"You set it off too early!" Rita heard a voice snarl.

She recognized that voice. _I know that voice! _She forgot where she knew it from, but she knew it. She had heard the female tone before.

"I'm sorry!" another female voice squeaked, "My finger slipped!"

"Calm down," a male voice soothed. "At least it went okay. Some Pokemon must have died, right?"

Rita strained to hear them. The three voices were coming from a bushel of trees nearby. Rita slowly walked over, eavesdropping. She peeked out over a bush she ducked under.

"But what if they weren't the ones we wanted dead?!" the other female voice growled, as Rita squinted her eyes to see them. She let out a tiny squeak of surprise as she spotted Froslass with the two legendary and super rare Eon Pokemon; Latias and Latios.

Latios poked his ears up. "What was that?"

Rita slapped her paws over her mouth. _Those Pokemon are super rare! ...But what are they talking about?_

"You're imagining things," Froslass hissed. She glared at Latias. "When Rae gets here he's gonna be _soooooo_ pissed at you!"

"I'm sorry!" Latias squeaked. "I didn't mean to!" She looked to the ground, her face flushing in embarassment. "I'm sure we killed some of the humans, right, Froslass?" She looked up at Froslass for support.

"What if we didn't?!" Froslass shouted, causing Latias to flinch. "What if they all got out because of you?!"

_THEY set off the bombs? _Rita stared at the three in disbelief. _Froslass is on our side! And why would Latias and Latios join Rae? _Suddenly, Rita remembered Lilligant telling her about Froslass being hypnotized back on Floor 23. _Latias and Latios must be hypnotized too... But they're acting so free-willed. They don't have the odd dazed look._

"You didn't even do anything," Latios pointed out, shrugging. "Don't yell at her when you didn't even do anything to help."

Froslass frowned. "I helped keep her from freaking out," she said, pointing at Latias. "If you ask me, that's a bigger thing then you, her, or Rae ever did."

"Stop acting like you're the boss of everything," Latios said cooly. "It's _really _annoying."

"You're the one that's really annoying!" Froslass shot back. "You're always acting like you're so cool, when Rae made _me_ the leader of this team!"

"You're not fit to be the leader of this team."

"Like you are!"

"Stop fighting..." Latias said quietly. "Someone'll hear us..."

Froslass turned on her. "There wouldn't be anyone to hear us if you just waited for the signal!"

"Shut _up_!" Rae's voice shouted from the trees. "Dear Arceus, I can hear you all the way from Evergreen Forest!"  
_I knew it was Rae!_  
He turned on Latias. "Do you know how many Pokemon survived that?!" he asked her.  
Latias looked up at him, her ears back. "Uh... twelve?"  
Rae growled. "I just hope Rita and Jet and Mightyena didn't survive. They're our main targets."  
Froslass glared at Latias.  
Jet! Rita hoped he was okay. She hoped everyone was okay. _I need to check to make sure everyone's okay... _She hurried out of the bush, freezing as she cracked a stick.  
Rae's ears perked up. "Someone's here."  
Rita bolted away, not caring if they saw her. _I have to tell Jet... _She slowed her pace as she neared what was left of The Game. _If he's... alive. _She stared at the rubble. _I hope Sweetie's dead... Dear Arceus... please let Sweetie be dead._  
"JEEEETTTTTYYYYY!" Rita heard a voice call. "JETTY WHERE ARE YOU?!"  
_Why me?_  
Rita turned towards the direction Sweetie's voice came from. Near her, there were several groups of Pokemon. _Maybe Jet's with them... _Rita walked towards them, ignoring Sweetie's nasty glare. If she had hands, she would give her the finger.  
Rita walked over towards the first group. Nobody. The same resolved with the other groups.  
She turned around. Other Pokemon were randomly scattered around, too far away for Rita to see.  
_This is Rae's fault!_  
"Rita?"  
Rita turned around to the sound of Crobat's voice. He was alone.  
His face showed a hint of relief when he saw her. "Thank Arceus... you're the first Pokemon I've seen that I actually know." He rolled his eyes. "Besides some members from Team Light and Team Nyan."  
_So some of the Rescue Camp members are alive? _"You too..." Well, this was awkward. She had never really spoken to Crobat, let alone been alone with him. _Should I tell him what I heard? _Well, if he was the only one around, she really didn't have a choice if she was to get help. "Rae did this," she stated plainly.  
Crobat's face showed irritation. "I figured. He couldn't do it all on his own though, could he?" He glanced around. "Do you think Plasma's okay? Not that I care!"  
Rita narrowed her eyes, smirking. "You like Plasma, right?"  
Crobat's face turned beet red. "No! Why would you even suggest that?!"  
Rita rolled her eyes. "C' mon. It's so obvious."  
"I hate her!"  
"But you love her~!" Rita teased. Now she understood why Dew liked teasing her about Jet all the time.  
"No I don't!" Crobat defended himself. "Y-Y... You love her!"  
Rita chuckled. "I can tell you're lying. I know what it's like."  
"I can't like what's probably dead..." There was saddness in his voice. Crobat turned his head to the side, his face continuing to flush. "Rae had accomplices, didn't he?" he asked, obviously wanting to change the subject.  
Rita sighed, dropping the subject. She didn't even want to consider the possibility that Plasma might be dead. "Yes. I saw them."  
Crobat looked back at her. "Saw them?"  
Rita shuffled her paws. "I was... eavesdropping," she said, looking up at Crobat. "Do you remember when Dew was taken by Froslass?" she asked.  
Crobat nodded. "Duh."  
_You _are_ a 'duh'._  
"Well, she has a sister that helped us before... Now she's one of Rae's hypnotized zombies." Well, she really couldn't call Froslass a zombie. She looked like she had complete free will. "Along with... Latias and Latios," she added.  
Crobat's eyes widened in surprise. "Latias and Latios? Rae got _them_?"  
Rita nodded. "They're the ones who set off the bombs, along with Rae."  
Crobat growled. "I'll kill them."  
Rita narrowed her eyes, grinning. "Because they might have hurt Plasma?"  
"Why are you still on that?" Crobat growled, his face flushing. He turned away. "Why am I even talking to you? I don't even like you."  
"There she is!" Rita heard someone call. She turned around.  
Plasma stood next to Vapor and Moon, waving.  
_Thank Arceus they're okay._  
She looked at Crobat. "Hey, Crobat," she started, "Your girlfriend's okay."  
Crobat turned around, looking at Plasma. Relief washed over his face. He turned back to Rita. "Ha. You're hilarious."  
Rita stuck her tongue out at him before going over to meet them.  
Plasma greeted her with a hug. "I thought you _died_!" she cried. "I was all "Oh nooooo we're running low on humansssss!""  
Rita chuckled. She smiled at them. "Have you seen... anybody else?"  
Plasma frowned. "No. Me and Moon just now found Vapor, wandering all alone in her little Vaporeon world."  
_Jet better be okay... If he's not... _She frowned. _I don't even know... _Where was Lady Pidgeot? Where was Rici? She didn't have high hopes that Rici survived... She felt like she was going to cry. It just wasn't fair.  
"I'm going to go look for people..." Rita said, standing up.  
"Rita..." Vapor started, "I can't help thinking that this is... all there is... I haven't seen anybody..."  
"We can't think like that!" Rita snapped at her, surprised at her tone. "S-Sorry," she added quickly. "Its just..."  
Vapor smiled. "I know. Go find them. We'll wait here." She glanced towards Crobat's direction. "You can come over too!" she called. "You don't have to stand there looking like the loser you are!  
Crobat scowled at her.  
Rita dipped her head at Vapor. "I'll be back shortly."

Rita headed off down the yellow brick road to find the Wizard of Oz. A scarecrow popped out of the hay, scaring the crap out of her. He started singing. Rita felt so scared, that she almost died.  
Suddenly, Jet came out of the sky and killed the scarecrow by dropping a tin man on him.  
"Oh Jet!" Rita cried. "You're my hero!"  
Jet flew down to the ground. "I know, Rita! Let's go make beautiful victory love!"

Whoops wrong story.

Rita glanced around. _Where could anyone be? _She sighed. _No... I need to make sure we have everyone._  
She created a mental list in her head.  
_Plasma... check._  
_Vapor... check._  
_Moon... check._  
_Crobat... check._  
Rita looked at the ground. _We still need Mightyena, Smoke, Jet, Dew, Night, Flower, and Rici. _She sighed as she walked around the huge pile of rubble. She stepped towards it, hopping on a pile of what she thought used to be the cafeteria walls. _Such an amazing place... gone to waste... _She stared at the rubble. A small brown thing sticking out of it caught her eye. She hopped off the pile of wall to get a closer look at it. She poked through the rubble, moving it out of the way.  
The brown thing appeared to be a small, brown chest-like box. She thought it looked familiar, like she'd seen it before. She opened it up.  
Inside was a tiny, heart-shaped gold locket. _It's so pretty... _She picked the locket out of the box. _How did it survive the explosion? _She slowly opened it up, as if it would shatter if she dropped it.  
Inside were two pictures.  
One was a picture of a human girl, about the age of fifteen, with short, red hair. She wore a red ribbon. Beside her was a Cinccino, it's fur looking extremely fluffy.  
_A human? How did a photo of human get here?_  
She glanced at the other picture. It was a picture of a boy that looked about the same age as the girl. He had beautiful, long golden hair. He looked kind of attractive, in Rita's opinion. Next to him was a small Poochyena.  
_Who is thi-_  
"That's mine."  
Mightyena's voice cut off her thoughts. She turned around. He stood only a few feet away from her. He had tears welling up in his scornful gaze as he looked at the locket.  
"Is that Collin?" Rita pointed to the boy with gold hair.  
Mightyena nodded. "The girl," he started, "Is Rissa. The one he left for."  
Rita gazed back at the photo. Everyone looked so happy. Mightyena even had a smile on his little Poochyena face. Rita had never seen Mightyena smile. Did he even smile anymore?  
"I'm sorry, Shade," she told him, her voice quiet.  
Mightyena shrugged. "It's fine. I was worried that it didn't survive the explosion. It's a miracle that it did."  
Rita looked back at the locket, then back to Mightyena. "Do you..." She didn't exactly know how to put it. "Do you really think Collin is waiting for you?"  
"I like hope he is." Mightyena took the locket out of her paws. He stared down at it, the gold color of it reflecting in his eyes. "I mean... I like to hope he is," he corrected himself.  
"Is hope what caused you to change your mind?"  
Mightyena shook his head. "I always liked to hope he was. Ever since he left." He let out a quiet sigh. It sounded almost like a hush. "But Night and Crobat helped me realize that hoping is useless unless I'm willing to fight for it." He placed the locket on the ground, covering it with his paw. "There's so many things I've done that I'm not proud of." Mightyena gave a slight laugh. "It makes me almost feel unworthy to see Collin again. It makes me think that he _knows _what I've done, and that he knew what I was going to do before I did them, and that's partly why he left me." He removed his paw off the locket, the gold surface now smudged. He picked it up, holding it with a single claw. "I'm kinda like this locket is now. Smudged and dirty." He frowned. "Nobody there to clean it..."  
Grinning slightly, Rita took the locket from him. She examined it, then used the fur on her paw to wipe off the dirt. "That's not true," she said, placing it back in Mightyena's paw. She looked into his surprised eyes. "You can clean yourself up if you want to. You just need someone to help you." She grinned. "That's why saving the world isn't a one-person duty. You can't do it on your own, that's why you have all of us."  
Mightyena half-grinned, turning around. "Y'know, I always thought you were a little pest." He started to walk away, towards the other side of the rubble. He turned his head around. "Thanks." He stalked off.  
_When did I get so inspirational? _Rita smiled. _But now I have to search for the others. _  
Rita started by lifting piles of rubble. "Anyone under here?" she called. Somehow she knew that it would be useless.  
She let out a sigh. She had to find the others. They can't be dead, they just can't. She stared at her paws. Dirt was caked on her claws, as well as the fir around her paws, making it look like brown snow. _When was the last time I had a bath?_  
She perked her ears up as she felt a presence. _Someone's watching m-_  
"BOO!"  
Rita nearly jumped out of her fur at the sudden noise. She let out a screech of terror, her heart racing fast. A loud burst of laughter followed her screech, as well as a thud on the ground.  
"AHAHAHAHA! YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN YOUR FACE!"  
Rita whipped around, narrowing her eyes as she spotted Dew rolling on the ground, laughing hysterically. _Well, he's not dead. _"Ha, ha," she said sarcastically, "Very funny."  
Dew stood up, wiping away the tears welling up in his eyes. "Well yeah, it kinda was." He chuckled, grinning. He turned towards The Game. "Well, this sucks." He shrugged. "Have you seen Jet?" he asked. "Or Vapor? I wanna know if they're okay..."  
Rita nodded. "I've seen Vapor... she's on the other side of what's left, but not Jet..." she trailed off.  
"I sure hope he's okay," Dew sighed. He perked his ears up, looking back at Rita. "Who else from our little passi is alive?"  
_Hopefully, all of them... _"Uh... Me, you, Plasma, Vapor, Moon..." She thought for a moment. "Shade and Crobat."  
"Crobat's alive?" Dew crossed his arms. "How disappointing."  
Rita shot an amused glare at him. "We don't want anyone dead... except Sweetie."  
Dew chuckled. "Has Lady Pidgeot been spotted yet?" he asked. "I wanna ask her what we're gonna do."  
Rita shrugged, sighing. "I have no idea..."  
Dew frowned. "Okay... I hope she's okay. We can't do anything without a leader." He turned his head to peer at the rubble. "So, our group's on that side?" he asked.  
Rita nodded.  
"Someone might've showed up and came to them," he pointed out. "Lets go check, kay?"  
_I hope Jet's there... _Rita realized that all her thoughts were revolving around Jet.

When Dew and Rita checked back with everyone, Flower, Smoke and Jet were there waiting for her, to her relief.  
Only, her mood was dampened when she realized Rici and Night were missing.  
Rita felt her face burn when she met Jet's gaze. She turned her face away in embarassment.  
"Do you think Night and Rici..." Flower didn't finish her sentence.  
"They're not dead until they're confirmed dead," Vapor stated. "Until then, they are just missing."  
"Teams!"  
Rita was relieved to hear Lady Pidgeot's call.  
Everyone's heads turned to her. Garnet, Ruby, and Emerald stood next to her, Garnet shaky while Ruby and Emerald tried to soothe him.  
"We're going to take rolecall," Lady Pidgeot announced, her voice unmoving and certain. "When I call your name, say-"  
"MY BEAUTIFUL CAMP!" Garnet's cry interrupted her. He looked hysterical. "THIS IS GONNA TAKE MONTHS TO REBUILD!" he cried, then flopped on the ground. "I'm done... I feel like dying..."  
As Ruby reached for him, he shoved her away.  
"Let me rot! I don't want to live anymore!"  
Lady Pidgeot looked irritated. "Get this fool out of here."  
Emerald dragged him away, along with another Pokemon Rita didn't recognize. Ruby stayed by Lady Pidgeot.  
_Now I know why Zangoose thought he was odd... he seemed normal before. He must be some kind of OCD perfectionist._  
"As I was saying..." Lady Pidgeot continued, "When I call your name please say 'Here'." She looked straight at the crowd. "I'll start with Team Nyan," she started. "Skittles."  
"Here!"  
Lady Pidgeot nodded. "Glameow!"  
"Hereo!"  
"Purrloin!"  
There was no answer.  
A silence filled the air.  
_How many are dead? _Rita wondered.  
Lady Pidgeot's gaze was unmoving, but Rita knew she must be feeling upset. "Alright," she started. "For now he's just missing." She had used the same thing Vapor did.  
"Next is Team Claw," Lady Pidgeot said. "Meowth."  
"Here!" a scratchy voice cried.  
"Dee."  
A small Eevee stirred not too far away from Rita. "Here!"  
"Mudkip."  
"Here!"  
Rita was relieved that the whole team was alive.  
As Lady Pidgeot went through names, nobody else seemed to be missing.  
"Team Resurrect," Lady Pidgeot stated. "Archen."  
"Here!" Archen's squawked.  
"Omanyte."  
Omanyte waved an arm from next to Archen. Lady Pidgeot awknowledged him with a nod.  
_Why doesn't he ever talk? What a weirdo._  
"Shield."  
Archen and Omanyte's faces dropped when there was no answer. They must have been relying on Shield's answer to see if he was alive.  
Rita felt a deep sadness at the thought of her former floormate being dead. _We didn't talk much... But I still don't want him dead._  
Lady Pidgeot's face twitched to a slight frown.  
_She's trying to be strong. _Rita noticed. _She's trying to appear strong to everybody... _  
By the time Lady Pidgeot was done calling out names, Rita had memorized each Pokemon who hadn't answered. The silence that followed after a Pokemon's name was called was unforgetable.  
She made a list in her head of who was considered, 'Missing'.  
_Purrloin from Team Nyan, Shield from Team Resurrect, Night from Team Shade, Rici, Cranidos from Team Jewel, Petal and Cherrim from Team Rose, Prinplup from Team Star._  
It could have been worse. Couldn't it?  
Ruby started calling Game members.  
Rita felt a sick feeling grow in her stomach as she realized even less Game members had survived. She recognized Trinity's name, as well as Thorna's. The others seemed unknown to her, but she still felt upset. There had been at least twenty deaths from the members of The Game.  
When she heard Ten yell 'Here', she felt somewhat relieved. _I'm glad he's okay... I don't know why, but I am. _She grinned.  
Ruby stopped calling names. "Okay... that's it, then."  
"Wait," Lady Pidgeot interrupted. "Where's Rae?"  
"Heeeerrrrreee I am, M'Lady!" Rae was dashing towards her, grinning widely. "Sorry 'bout that!"  
Lady Pidgeot smiled. "I'm just glad you're okay."  
Rita narrowed her eyes. _I don't care how much Lady Pidgeot likes Rae, I have to tell her. He's gone too far. _She stared at the Raichu. _Why would he bomb The Game? How did he even plant bombs?_  
Emerald appeared next to Ruby. "Garnet's calming down." She looked out at the crowd of Pokemon. "Whatever you do," she started, "Don't mention The Game getting bombed!"  
Lady Pidgeot looked at her like she was stupid. "Okay," she agreed sarcastically. "We'll just put a huge blanket over the remains of The Game so he can't see it!"  
Emerald's eyes sparkled. "That's a great idea!" She gave Lady Pidgeot a smack on the back. "You're so smart, Pidgeot!"  
_She's hopeless..._  
"Where are we gonna gooooo?" a Pokemon asked loudly. Rita recognized the voice as Wigglytuff's. She drifted her eyes towards the pink balloon Pokemon. Persian and Dragonite stood beside him.  
_I hope Persian's decided to join us. We need him now more than ever... Especially if Rici is... _Rita felt a deep sorrow at the thought of losing her brother. _I hope he's okay... He _needs _to be okay..._  
"Shouldn't we wait for the missing Pokemon?" a female voice asked.  
Rita looked over towards the direction it came from. It was Glameow, a member of Team Nyan. Her team member, Purrloin, was missing. Rita frowned. _She's right. We can't just leave Rici and Night._  
"Oh come on," Persian's voice started. He rolled his eyes. "It's obvious that they're dead. If they aren't here, they're in Heaven or Hell. Deal."  
That started a riot. Pokemon yelled and screeched, fighting with eachother.  
"Jeez..." Plasma started, sighing. "Persian's such an idiot."  
"Quiet down!" Lady Pidgeot's voice rang. As everyone settled down, she spoke again. "Glameow has a point, but so does Persian," she started. "We can't leave them behind, but we can't stay out here, either." She looked at the rubble, then back at the crowd. She took a deep breath, as if she might regret saying her next words. "We're going to the Rescue Camp."  
Almost immediatly, Pokemon reacted.  
"But its not finished being re-built, Pidgeot," Emerald pointed out. "What would we do once we got there?"  
Lady Pidgeot grinned. "Then we wait. It's better than staying here. We have a town nearby. The town closest to here is quite a few miles away..."  
"Shouldn't we leave a note," Rita called out, "In case the missing Pokemon come out and notice us mssing?" She had hope that Rici would be okay. He just had to be okay. He was the third...  
"That's a good idea," Lady Pidgeot smiled. "Does anyone have paper?"  
Nobody answered.  
"Alright, we'll claw it into the oak tree." She pointed with her golden wing towards a huge oak tree. "Anyone with claws.. can carve it."  
"I'll do it." Ten wandered towards the oak tree, Pokemon gathering around him to watch him claw in a letter.  
Rita stood on her toes, trying to get a look at what he was carving. His hand writing was a bit sloppy and ragged, but it was readable.

"d_e_ar t**e**em me_m_bers,  
if any of _u_ find t_h_is _aft_er the **b**ombs went of..."

Rita noticed his spelling wasn't too good, either.

"we r at the _r_escue camp  
-the surviving members  
_T_EN WRO**T**E T_HI_S!"

That's all it said. Rita hoped Rici or Night would find it. She was really starting to miss them.  
Lady Pidgeot leaned over everyone. "Okay, good." She stood back up straight. "We will seperate into three, large groups this time," she announced. "The first group will be led by me, the second by-"  
"Wait, wait," Garnet's voice called as he headed towards Lady Pidgeot.  
Rita turned around. Garnet seemed back to normal.  
"Wait minute..." he said again. "Who put you in charge?" he asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, but I had a bigger group of members. Shouldn't I get to choose who goes where?"  
Lady Pidgeot let out a sigh. "You were flipping out," she explained. "But sure, whatever. Do you even know who my teams are?"  
Garnet was quiet.  
"No, I didn't think so. When I'm done placing my teams in groups, you can place yours."  
Rita thought it was a bit amusing to see adults fighting. _Well, adults... What do you call grown-up Pokemon? Garnet, Ruby, Emerald, and Lady Pidgeot are clearly older than us. _  
"Fine, whatever," Garnet huffed, crossing his arms. Why was he being so difficult? He was acting like a spoiled kid.  
Lady Pidgeot's sharp gaze drifted towards the crowd of Pokemon. "The teams going in my group will be as followed," she started, "Team Rose, Team Luck..."  
Rita noticed she had used Flower's team name, even when Flower was the only one left. Rita felt pity in her stomach for the pink Munna.  
_Flower must feel terrible..._  
"Team Nyan, Team Rivalry, and Team Water Pulse."  
Rita suddenly felt a pang of saddness that she wouldn't be traveling with Jet.  
"The second group will be led by Emerald and Ruby," Lady Pidgeot stated. "The Pokemon teams in that group are as followed; Team Z, Team Attract, Team Resurrect, and Team Shade. Rae will be joining you, also." Her gaze drifted towards Rae. "Unless, of course, Rae has other plans."  
Rae shook his head. "No," he replied, grinning. "It's _perfect._"  
Plasma frowned. "Why are we always stuck with Team Shade?" she complained. "And _Rae_. Why him?" She crossed her arms, pouting. "I hate my life."  
"At least you're alive," Smoke reminded her. "You could be dead."  
"The third group," the golden Pidgeot continued, "Will be led by Garnet," she explained.  
"Is that a good idea?" Rita heard Moon whisper. "He seems like he could freak out any minute."  
Lady Pidgeot tucked her wings in, as Rita noticed Pidgey on her head. "Team Meteor..."  
Rita looked up as she heard her team name.  
"Team Light, Team Star, and Team Claw."  
_None of my friends are in my group... Except for Smoke. _Rita felt grateful that the Quilava was her team mate.  
Lady Pidgeot looked over at Garnet. "Go ahead."  
Garnet nodded as he announced names.  
Rita grunted as she heard Sweetie's team get announced to be in her group. She couldn't help but feel the slightest pity for the annoying Lopunny, since her team member, Thorna the Ampharos, was missing.  
Ten was in Lady Pidgeot's group, as well as the Blaziken, Kin, she had battled in the tournament before. Rita didn't really recognize any other names, except for Dio's who was in Plasma's group, to Rita's amusement, and Crobat's jealousy.  
"We will leave right away," Lady Pidgeot announced. "My group will take the route through Evergreen Forest," she stated, glancing at Emerald, Ruby, and Garnet. "You three can choose whereverer."  
_I hope Garnet doesn't choose anywhere stupid..._  
"We'll go through the plains," Garnet announced cooly. "It's out in the open, and there's a small stream at the end of it. It'd be good for water."  
Ruby and Emerald exchanged glances.  
"We'll go through... Temple Cave," Ruby said cheerfully.  
"No," Emerald cut in. "Stench Cave," she argued. "It's less dangerous."  
"It smells in there!" Ruby complained. "And that's where Team Z found the bodies!"  
There was a gasp from the crowd.  
_Bodies? They must have been Team Shadow Cloud's bodies... like Persian said before... _She felt a pang of worry smack her. _How many more Pokemon can Rae kill? _She cast a worried glance at the Raichu, then Mightyena. She couldn't help but notice his gaze drift to the side, as if he was hiding something. The same happened with Ten.  
_Mightyena took part in it... didn't he?_  
"Nothing important!" Lady Pidgeot cut in, shooting an irritated glance at Ruby. "Lets get going, okay?"  
Ruby looked worriedly back at the crowd, then Emerald. "Temple Cave."  
Emerald nodded, probably regretting she ever mentioned Stench Cave. "Got it."  
Garnet stood up, motioning for his group to follow.  
Rita nodded to Smoke, then turned around at everyone. "Bye, good luck," she told them. She didn't meet Jet's gaze.  
As her and Smoke started away, she heard Jet call, "Be careful!"  
She grinned.

•  
Rae watched as the groups headed off. He hoped that Emerald and Ruby wouldn't notice his absence.  
_It'll only be for a few minutes._  
He darted back to the trees, knowing that Froslass, Latios, and Latias would still be there.  
The three looked up at him as he emerged from the bushes, their expressions unreadable, as if they knew how many survived.  
Not many words were needed.  
"Follow them?" Froslass asked.  
Rae gave a small nod. "Follow them."  
The three immediatley flew up out of the trees, taking off in the three directions each group had gone.  
When they were finally out of sight, Rae punched the nearest tree, his body still facing forward. _They better fix this. We need the others dead. _Rae glared in the direction of his group. _Mightyena will pay. _He glanced at the tree he had punched, pulling his paw out. There was a huge dent in it, the size of his fist. _The fifth Pokemon needs to be found out soon, as well. _He hoped that the bomb had killed it, but somehow he knew that that didn't happen, since things didn't seem to be going his way. _Stupid Latias. She'll be punished._  
He pushed his way through the trees, finally arriving at the oak tree he had stood by earlier. He scowled as he read the note to the missing Pokemon.  
_If Rici _is_ alive, we most certainly can't have him finding this. _He drew his fist back, pummeling it into the tree. A huge hole now replaced where the words used to be. _Good luck finding your way back, now. _He drew his fist away from the tree.  
"Rae!" Emerald's high voice called. "Are you coming?"  
Rae scowled at her voice. _I'll need something to amuse me while I'm stuck in their group. _He smirked sadistically. _I hope she doesn't mind not breathing. _  
As he turned around, his face slipped to a fake smile. "Coming!" he called.  
_At least I have a follower in Rita's group. She'll take care of her tonight, even if Froslass can't._

•  
"...And you're stupid, and you're ugly, and Jet _hates _you, and you-"  
"Will you just _shut up_?" Rita asked in annoyance, turning around to Sweetie's ugly face. "Really. Your voice is almost as annoying as your face."  
Rita padded beside Smoke, Sweetie and her teammate Sapphire walked behind them, Sweetie continuously ranting about why Rita 'failed at life'. The moon looked like a banana against the starry sky.  
Sweetie raised her head in the air, pointing with a paw at Rita. "See? _That's_.." She swung her head down dramatically to look at Rita. "Why Jet hates you!" she finished.  
Rita rolled her eyes. _Why do I have to be stuck with her?_  
"Mind your own business!" Smoke snapped. "Don't talk to us."  
The Herdier next to Sweetie nodded. "Really, Sweetie..." she started. "We don't need to be fighting at a time like thi-"  
"Shut it, Sapphire," Sweetie hissed. "I'm fighting for _love_!"  
"Love that you'll never get..." Sapphire muttered.  
Sweetie turned on her. "What was that?!"  
Before Sapphire had a chance to answer, Garnet called, "We're staying here for the night!"  
Rita's stomach growled. Was the Reinclius _insane_? They had no food, and they hadn't eaten breakfast _or _lunch today.  
Pokemon called cried of complaints, but Garnet quickly shushed them.  
"What," he taunted, "You babies can go a day without food, can't you?"  
Rita flicked her ears. Evil. Pure evil.  
When nobody answered, Garnet grinned. "That's what I thought. "We'll settle here for the night."

Rita layed down close to Smoke, wanting to get as far away from Sweetie as possible. She felt a pang of lonliness, realizing that Rici wasn't going to be here tonight.  
She stared at the night sky, watching the stars. She grinned as she noticed one star that shone brightly above all the others. She recognized it as the star she saw her first night at the Rescue Camp.  
_I remember thinking that that certain star would be Team Meteor, since it was shining brighter than the others... _She grinned. _I still hope that we can be that star. _  
She closed her eyelids, taking in the smells of the plains, and the sounds of Pokemon sleeping. She rolled over, facing Smoke's back.  
All of the sudden, she felt her airway cut off. Someone was choking her.  
She thrashed and tried to shout for help as they dragged her across the field. Eventually, Rita could no longer see her sleeping companions.  
As she struggled to breathe, she felt her choker roll her on to her back, as her choker's weight fell on top of her.  
Rita looked up into the dazed eyes of Sweetie.  
Rita let out a hoarse gasp. _She really _is_ hypnotized! _  
Sweetie's paws pressed down on her throat.  
Rita tried to use blizzard to get her off, but it was no use, since blizzard came from her throat. _Thunderbolt. _Rita released thunderbolt, the electrical energy enveloping the Lopunny. She didn't move.  
_W-What?! _Rita felt her conscienceness start to go dark. Could Lilac save her twice? She thrashed around, but as much as she hit Sweetie, she didn't move. Rita's legs went limp, as her vision darkened.  
The weight of Sweetie suddenly shifted off her.  
Rita gasped in the fresh air, as she heard a _thud_. A flash of silver caught her eye. She whipped around, staring at Jet as he wrestled with Sweetie.  
"What are you doing?!" he growled at her.  
Sweetie stared blankly up at him. She blinked once, and once again her blue eyes looked normal. "J-Jetty?!" She looked over at Rita. "Why are you here?!"  
Jet stood up, looking to the side. His face flushed red against the darkness. "I... I followed your group." He crossed his arms, not meeting Rita's gaze.  
"Oh, Jetty!" Sweetie cooed, tackling him with a hug. "That's so sweet of you!"  
Jet shoved her away. "I didn't follow _you_," he growled. "Now, why were you choking Rita?!"  
"I..." She frowned. "I wanted us to be together, Jetty," she replied with an innocent look on her face. "But... I'm not a murderer... so Rae showed me a way to kill her without me feeling bad about it! He said he could hypnotize me, and I wouldn't remember it or _anything_!"  
Jet snorted. "And you _agreed_?! Why would you agree to that?!"  
"Don't you want her dead, Jetty?!" Sweetie asked. "She's getting in the way of us!"  
"Everything you told me was a lie!" Jet shouted at her. "What's wrong with you?!"  
"I only did it so you'd like me!" Sweetie cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "If Rita's gone, we can live happily after ever. It can be like a fairytale!"  
Jet shook his head. "Not like this. Rita means too much to me." He scowled at her. "You don't deserve a fairytale."  
_I can't believe he saved me... _  
Sweetie frowned. "But I love you, Jetty!"  
"I don't love you. Not after what you just tried." He walked towards her. Rita hadn't noticed the sharp, long rock in his hand. "I'll be honest, I thought about it." He shook his head. "I can't believe you listened to Rae." He pulled his arm back, ready to stick the rock through Sweetie's chest. He swung it forward.  
"Jet, stop!" Rita yelled. It had been her first words to him in a while.  
Jet's hand stopped an inch from Sweetie's chest.  
"If you kill Sweetie, you'll be just as bad as Rae," she told him. "You don't want that."  
Jet dropped his rock. "You're right." He stepped back, glaring at Sweetie. "Don't talk to me _ever _again, or I might really kill you."  
Sweetie scowled at him, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air. "I didn't think you were like that," she spat. "Don't come crawling back to me after what you just pulled." She started to stalk away, her arms still folded across her chest. "I can find someone better than you!" She walked a few more steps, before turning her head back, this time looking at Rita.  
Rita knew her eyes weren't full of hatered this time.  
"Thanks," she said with a slight grin. She turned her head back around, stalking off towards the rest of their group.  
Rita watched her go off in silence. A soothing feeling washed over her as she realized that the tension between her and Sweetie was now gone. She was no longer a hated ememy, simply an aquaintance. Maybe one day they could talk it over, and maybe even become friends. Sweetie was annoying, but when her smile was real, and it wasn't the fake one she used on Jet... It was actually quite pretty.  
"I'm sorry."  
Rita turned back to Jet. His silver pelt shone against the moonlight, giving him an illuminating appearance. She smiled. "It's okay. You are forgiven."  
Jet shook his head. "No- It's not okay. I hurt you." He looked in the direction Sweetie went. "I believed that witch over you. I don't know how to make it up to you."  
Rita slowly walked towards him. The looked like they were behind him, shining brightly. She spotted Team Meteor's star.  
Jet had a puzzled expression on. "What are you doing?" He tilted his head to the side.  
Without thinking, Rita stood on her toes, and pressed her mouth to his, her face immediatley turning hot.  
They stayed there for a few seconds, silence surrounding them.  
Rita pulled away, whipping around, her face beet red. "Good night." Her walk quickly turned to a dash as she felt Jet's eyes on her back, the wind whipping across her face. She giggled girlishly to herself. _I can't believe I did that!_  
She settled down next to Smoke again. He was sound asleep. She looked across the field at Sweetie, who was sleeping soundly next to Sapphire. She grinned. _Good night to you, too. _She set her head on the ground, trying to drift asleep.

•  
"She's not dead."  
Rae frowned. "Sweetie was supposed to kill her." He stomped his foot on the ground. "Why didn't it work?!"  
Gengar rolled his eyes. "Don't act like a child. We have plenty of other plans."  
The huge, purple Pokemon stood in front of Rae. He wasn't in complete physical form yet, since he was slightly transparent. It made it difficult for Rae to see him.  
"When will you be able to take physical form again?" Rae asked. "It's kinda weird..." He stuck his arm through Gengar. "Not being able to touch you. I haven't touched you in a while."  
Gengar scowled. "Don't say it like that. You sound like a pervert." His scowl turned to a grin. "And soon. We just need time." He stared straight at Rae. "And remember, when I _do _take physical form, you can't go getting in any battles," he reminded him. "If you get hit, I'll feel the pain too."  
Rae nodded. "I know. I'm not that stupid." _What does he take me for? _"When are those three going to attack?" he asked, changing the subject.  
"As soon as I give the signal." Gengar looked at the sky. "They all have to be asleep." A grin spread across his face. "I almost forgot how pretty the night sky looked." His grin turned sadistic. "Too bad I'll have to destroy it~!" he chuckled.  
Rae followed his gaze. It really was a pretty sky. It almost made him think twice about destroying it.  
Almost.  
"What are those three going to do, exactly?" Gengar asked, cutting off his thoughts.  
"I thought you knew this." Rae grinned. "Froslass is going to freeze everybody, while Latias and Latios are going to trap them in a void. While they're all frozen and trapped, we'll pick out the five from the human world and finish them off ourselves."  
Gengar tilted his head. "Can Latias and Latios really do that? I mean... trap them in a void?"  
Rae gave him a puzzled look. "You're the one who gave them the technology, let alone the one who made it."  
Gengar put his hand to his hand, laughing slightly. "I must be going crazy..."  
_You already are crazy._  
"I'm going to give the signal now," Gengar stated, looking at the sky. "Hopefully it'll work this time."  
Rae hoped so too, but he doubted it would.

•  
Rita still wasn't fully asleep when she heard frightened cries.  
Smoke poked at her side. "Wake up!" he hissed. "Someone's here!"  
"This is no fun!" Froslass's voice sounded. "You're all awake!" She looked irritated. "Now you're all just gonna scramble away..."  
"Froslass?!" Smoke looked confused. "What is she doing here?!"  
"Who are you?" Garnet shouted up to her.  
Froslass grinned. "Your worst nightmare." She used some sort of ice type move on him, freezing him in instants. Froslass glanced at other Pokemon, using the same attacks on them.  
Rita gasped. What was she doing!?  
Froslass's gaze met her's as she froze Glameow. "Rita!" she called, "Nice to see you again! It's been too long!" She smirked. "Now, die." She used the same ice attack she had used on Garnet, a shadow ball behind it.  
If she got hit with the ice attack, it would freeze her. If the shadow ball hit her while she was frozen, if would cause the ice to break apart, which would break Rita apart also. All she would be is a piece of ice, split in half.  
Instinct made her dodge, causing the attack to hit a Simisear, who was behind her. Rita had barely enough time to recognize the Simisear as Embearl- the Pokemon she was originally supposed to battle in the tournament before Sweetie changed everything- before the shadow ball hit him, causing the ice chamber to break into pieces, as well as Embearl's body.  
Rita stared at the chunks of ice and frozen body in horror. _That would have been me! _She felt selfish. _I let Embearl get hit..._  
"EMBEARL!" someone cried.  
Rita didn't have time to check before Froslass fired another attack at her. She doged gracefully out of the way, hoping nobody was behind her.  
"Hold still you stupid rat!" Froslass growled. "Let me hit you!" She used the same attack over and over, and Rita continued to dodge. Froslass's expression showed frustration. "HOLD STILL!"  
"Why are you attacking us?!" Rita called up to her. "You're on our side!"  
Froslass laughed. "That was just an act!" She closed one eye, aiming at Rita again. "Now _hold still_." As she prepared to fire, attacks from different angles hit her.  
Rita turned around, her eyes widening in surprise as she spotted three different Pokemon; A Beedrill, a Lilligant, and a Whimsicott. Rita squinted. _They look so familiar..._  
The Lilligant and Whimsicott took a step forward, both of them pointing at Froslass.  
"Surrender!" Lilligant ordered, "Or feel the wrath of Team Biscuit!"  
The Whimsicott stepped out of position, looking up at the Lilligant. "Team Biscuit?" she asked, looking disappointed. "I thought we agreed on Team Hollow!"  
"Yeah!" Beedrill agreed. "Team Biscuit's _lame_!"  
Something about the three of them struck Rita as familiar. Especially the Beedrill... Could it be...?  
_That's Weedle! _she remembered. _When did he evolve...? _She glanced at the other two Pokemon. _Those two are... _She looked them over. _The Lilligant is the Pokemon we rescued from Heat Mountain, and Whimsicott is the one who sent the letter! _She stared at them. _How did they get here? _Something else about Lilligant seemed familiar to Rita, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.  
Froslass rolled her eyes. "You three are annoying." She aimed her attack at them. "Die."  
Lilligant's gaze shifted towards the attack. She deflected it with vine whip, shattering the ice that pelted towards them.  
Rita's mouth gaped open. She made it look so easy!  
Lilligant's gaze met Rita's. She gaze a slight smile, before using a powerful-looking Magical Leaf attack.  
Whimsicott copied her, while Beedrill used Poison Sting.  
Froslass attempted to dodge, but the purple glowing leaves followed her, hitting her smack in the back. She plummeted to the ground.  
Rita stared at her in awe. Those two were really strong, especially Lilligant. Rita glanced back at the pretty flower Pokemon. _She... I know her already, but there's something so familiar about her._  
Froslass stood up before they had a chance to attack again. She shot a glance at Rita, then back at everyone else. "I'll be back!" she threatened. "You better watch your backs!" She disappeared into thin air.  
_What the-?! How did she do that?! _Rita glanced in the direction Garnet was in. He was frozen solid.  
_How are we gonna get to the Rescue Camp now...? We don't know the way..._  
"Don't worry!" Whimsicott called. "We'll lead you!"  
"Do you know the way?" Smoke asked.  
Beedrill looked at him. "Of course we d-" He cut himself off. "SSSSMMMMMOOOOOKKKKKEEEEEEE!" he cried, plummeting into the Quilava. "It's been _forever_!" he cried. "How are you? How's Plasma? How's Vicky? How's everybody?!"  
Smoke stared down at him. "And you are...?"  
"It's me! Weedle!"  
Smoke smiled. "Weedle~!"  
"Is anyone here a fire type?" a Roggenrolla called from next to Garnet. "He's... frozen."  
Someone gasped. "If we use fire attacks won't he melt?!"  
Lilligant shook her head. "It only works when you use a move that'll shatter it."  
The Roggenrolla nodded. "Alright, any fire types?"

•  
Froslass materialized in front of Rae.  
He stood deep in Temple Cave, water running down the cave walls.  
Rae stared at her. "Shouldn't you be doing something?"  
Froslass sighed. "I'm sorry, sir, I failed." She scowled. "Unexpected Pokemon showed up, and others were awake when I got there."  
Rae frowned, irritated. "Unexpected Pokemon?"  
"A Whimsicott, a Beedrill, and a Lilligant, sir."  
_A Lilligant?_  
Rae nodded. "Okay... I'll alert Gengar." He looked back at her. "We're calling off the plan. Go tell Latias and Latios."  
Froslass nodded. "Roger." She disappeared.  
Rae let out a sigh. Things were _not _going as planned. And could the Lilligant be _her_?  
_No... Gengar destroyed her soul... It can't be her... _He frowned. _Could it?_  
_Gengar_, he summoned. _Gengar, the plan failed. I'm calling it off._  
Rae sensed Gengar giving an irritated sigh. _"Fine." _His presence disappeared.  
Why was nothing working? He simply wanted to kill the humans. Was that too much too ask? He went off into his thoughts. _Oh well... We'll find another way. We will. W-_  
He jumped as Latios appeared in front of him.  
Latios blinked, his gaze unmoving. "Did I scare you?"  
Rae scowled. "No. What do you need?"  
Latios shrugged. "I see no reason to call off the plan. Just because Froslass failed doesn't mean Latias and I will."  
Rae sighed. "Somehow, someone from that group will warn my group or the other group. They will."  
The blue Eon Pokemon shrugged again. "Okay. Whatever." He left.  
_Jeez... _Rae thought, irritated. _They're always doubting our plans..._  
"Who were you just talking to?"  
Rae spun around at the sound of Emerald's voice. His scowl slipped to a smile. "What are you talking about, Miss Emerald?"  
Emerald's face turned serious. "Don't play stupid with me. What do you mean plan? I heard everything." She stared at him. "What are you planning? Was it you who set off the bombs?"  
_Great. She's suspicious, too..._  
Rae continued to smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. You must be tired, go get some slee-"  
"I'm not _that_ stupid, Rae." She narrowed her eyes. "It _was _you." She gasped. "I have to warn Ruby!"  
As she turned to leave, Rae grabbed her by the neck.  
His smile was now a frown. "I can't have you do that."  
"What are you gonna do?!" Emerald spat. "Kill me?"  
Rae's frown changed to a sadistic smile. "You read my mind." He pressed down on Emerald's neck, enjoying the feeling of her soft, breakable skin under his paws. "Ha ha... ha ha!" He started laughing. "This is great!"  
If only she knew how to keep her sqeaky mouth shut.  
As she stopped thrashing, Rae released his grip. He grinned. _I won't have to hear that annoying voice of her's anymore! _He glanced towards his sleeping group members. _I did them a favor. They should thank me. _He looked down at the Togetic's limp body, giving it a kick.  
_Heh, you make a nice soccer ball._

•  
"EMERALD!"  
Ruby's screech woke Plasma. She yawned, stretching her arms out. The sun shone brightly in the sky, forcing her to squint.  
"What's _her _problem?" Plasma heard Persian complain. "I'm trying to sleep."  
"Emerald's dead!" Ruby's screech echoed through the cave.  
Plasma perked her ears up as Moon stirred next to her.  
"Dead?" she asked. "Emerald's dead?"  
Plasma shrugged. "She's probably just having a bad dream." She glanced towards the direction Ruby's cry came from. "HEY! RUBY!" she called. "SHUT YOUR FACE! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!"  
Even though she said that, she didn't get much sleep. The whole group was crammed into the cave. Plasma had barely anyroom.  
Moon frowned. "That wasn't called for."  
"Well, I called it." Plasma stood up, as Ruby came rushing back to where they all slept. She had a horrified look on her face.  
_Nightmares are stupid. Ruby shouldn't share her's with the rest of us, _Plasma thought scornfully to herself.  
The green Espeon was terrified. "Emerald's dead!" she panted. "I-I just found her body!" Her eyes started to tear up. "She's dead!" she sobbed. "She's really dead!"  
A Swellow stepped next to her. "Calm down," he soothed. "Where's her body?"  
Ruby sniffed. "Back there." She pointed with her paw further down the cave.  
Swellow nodded. "Okay. Let's go check it out."  
When the group got there, a lot of Pokemon broke out into sobs.  
Plasma slipped to the front of the group, Moon by her side.  
Moon let out a tiny squeak. "She really is dead!"  
Plasma stared at her body, horrified.  
_Ruby really _should_ keep her nightmares to herself._

•


	25. Chapter Twenty Four: 23's Secret

Jet gave a slight laugh as Vapor tripped over a rock, landing on her face.

"Walk with your legs, not your face," he told her, chuckling. He was in a good mood today.

Vapor shot him a glare. "Now where did I hear that before?" she asked sarcastically, tilting her head.

Jet let the breeze hit his face. "Ahh, memories."

"Are we almost there?" Dew asked, stepping heavily. "My. Legs. Hurt."

"It'll be a while," Lady Pidgeot called back to him. "Keep walking!" The shadows of the trees enveloped her whole body, making her look more silver than gold.

Dew dropped to his knees. "Need... to breathe..." He flopped down on the ground, causing leaves to flutter up. "Go on without me!"

Vapor and Jet exchanged glances, then shrugged.

"Okay," Jet said, waving to him, "See ya later, Dewwy." He started off with the rest of the group.

"Hey!" Dew called, running up to him and Vapor. "That's not what I meant." He folded his arms across his chest.

"Sounded like it to me," Vapor chuckled.

"Some team mates you are," Dew huffed.

The wind whipped through the trees, causing them to sway to the rhythm of the breeze. Sunlight dipped through the tree leaves, leaving specks of light on the forest floor. Bird Pokemon called to eachother in song, happiness in their peppy voices. Jet listened to their song as it lifted his spirits.

It was almost hypnotizing.

After a long while of trekking through the forest, Jet noticed a familiar mark on the ground.

_Isn't that the same spot Dew flopped down in about an hour ago? _He stared at it, shaking his head. _I must be imagining things._

"Aha!" a member from Team Nyan, Skittles, shouted. "I got it!" They were tossing a rock around.

Jet laughed a weird, unusual laugh. [Insert Goofy the dog[?] laugh here]

Dew chuckled at his unusual laugh. "What was that?"

Jet shrugged. "I dunno. Must be the forest." He glanced at Dew.

Dew's eyes widened. "Look out!" He grabbed Jet's arm and pulled him to the ground. Jet heard something hard hit the tree behind him.

He stood up, glancing at the tree. At the base of the trunk lay the rock Skittles and Glameow had been throwing, while a large dent where the rock hit it. He looked in Glameow's direction. "You tryin' to kill me?!"

Glameow frowned. "Sorry. We won't throw it that way anymore." She turned towards another tree, picking up a different rock. "Skittles, go long!" she called.

Skittles dashed to the front of the group. "Throw it!"

Glameow pelted the rock, hitting a Blaziken in the head.

Glameow broke out into a strange laughter as the Blaziken picked up the rock that hit his head.

Jet stared at Glameow and Skittles, who were both laughing hysterically.

_They're not usually like that... What's up with everyone?_

Jet felt oddly blissful as they trekked through the forest. He recognized the same song the bird Pokemon had been singing earlier. _Are we going in circles? What kind of forest is this?_

Lady Pidgeot seemed undazed, for she kept marching forward with a smile on her face. The group followed her, everyone smiling happily.

_Everyone's smiling. _Jet smiled. _It makes me want to smile too._

A _thud _sounded next to him. He glanced to the side. Vapor was on her face again, having tripped over a rock. Jet glanced at the rock. It looked like the same one she had tripped over earlier.

He glave a slight laugh. "Walk with your legs, not your face."

Vapor glared at him. "Working on it."

Jet felt another breeze hit his face.

"Are we almost there?" Dew called. "My. Legs. Hurt."

"It'll be a while," Lady Pidgeot called back to him. "Keep walking!"  
Dew dropped to his knees. "I need to... breathe..." He flopped down on the ground once again. It lookd like the same spot he had before.  
Jet narrowed his eyes. _What's happening? _He stared at Dew. "Get up," he commanded.  
Dew immediatley stood up. "Didn't know it upset you so much, Jetty," he said, grinning.  
Jet shrugged. "Don't wanna go through the same abandonment again, do we?"  
Dew grinned creepily.  
It seemed like another hour of trekking before Jet began to feel more suspicious.  
"Aha!" Skittles, shouted. "I got it!" Her and Glameow were tossing another rock around.  
Jet leaned close to Dew. "Is that the same rock they were throwing earlier?"  
Dew shrugged. "Not sure. I don't creep on rocks." His eyes grew wide. "Duck!" He grabbed Jet's arm, pulling him to the ground.  
Jet felt his body hit the forest floor again. A_ thud _sounded behind him. He stood up, turning around to face the tree the rock had hit. There was a rock at the base of the tree trunk. He slowly lifted his gaze, predicting what he might see.  
The tree now had two dents in it.  
"Are you still trying to kill us?!" Dew shouted at Glameow. "I thought you said you wouldn't throw this way anymore!"  
Glameow grinned creepily. "Yes."  
_Yes? Yes to what?_  
She turned to the tree behind her, picking up another rock. "Skittles!" she called. "Go long!"  
Skittles dashed to the front of the group. "Ready!" she shouted.  
Glameow threw the rock towards her, but it hit the Blaziken again. It thunked against his head. A line of blood poured from his wound. He bent down, picking up the rock, and pelted it back at her.  
Glameow stepped to the side, avoiding the rock. She stared back at the Blaziken in surprise. "What was that for?"  
The Blaziken didn't answer as he turned around.  
_What's happening?_  
Should he notify Lady Pidgeot? He spotted Flower floating along with the group. He walked up to her, glancing nervously around. "Do you notice anything... weird about this place?"  
She turned around to face him, laughing. "Y-Y-.." She started laughing again. "Y-Yeah! Hahahaha! It's completely confusing me!" Tears started to well up in her eyes from laughing so hard. "The same thing keeps... HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!" She burst into laughter, doing twists in turns in the air.  
"We're not going anywhere," Jet pointed out, not knowing what was so amusing. "We're going in circles."  
The Munna threw her head up in laughter. "AHAHAHAHAHA! I KNOW! Why would you want to leave?" she asked him, doing more flips in the air. "It's just _DANDY_ here!"  
Jet wondered why she was acting like a drunk hillbilly. "We'll never get back to the Rescue Camp," he said calmly. "We'll be stuck here forever." _Why is she so giggly? She's never been like this!_  
Flower turned towards him, a wild glint in her eye. "I'm just fine with that! THIS PLACE IS GREAT!"  
Jet slowly backed away towards the rest of his team. "Hey," he started, talking to Dew. "What's up with this forest? We're just going in circles..." Once again, they passed the spot Dew fell on.  
Dew turned on him. "You know what, Jet?" he asked in an angry tone, "Why don't you just shut the Hell up? Some of us _like _the forest!"  
Jet scowled at him. "What got under your skin?" he shot back.  
Dew blinked, his angryness fading. "...What?"  
Jet was confused. "What's happening?"  
"And a slice for Jet... and a slice for Dew... and a slice for Ten..."  
Jet turned his attention to Vapor. She was mumbling to herself oddly, staring at her front arm.  
"And a slice for that Charmander over there..." She jabbed a stone into her arm, slicing it through her skin in an odd fashion. She had a phycopathic grin on her face. "And a slice for Lady Pidgeot..." She shoved the stone into her arm again. "And a slice for..." She looked up and over at Jet, who's face showed confusion. "Does Rae deserve a slice, Jet?" she asked. "He's a bully."  
Jet and Dew stared at her.  
"Vapor, what are you doing?" Jet asked, trying to keep his voice steady.  
Vapor smiled at him weirdly. "I'm cutting cake for everyone!" she told him smoothly. She held her bloody arm up to his face. It was full of bloody gashes. "Want some? I already cut your slice!" She pointed with her paw to a deep gash. "It's right... there!" She tilted her head. "So, does Rae get a piece?" She tilted her head the other way. "Wait, who's Rae?" She gave a loud laugh. "WOW, this forest is noisy!"  
_What the...?_  
Vapor started humming some sort of tune. "And when they find you, they're gonna EAT YOU UP!" she sang. "They're gonna EAT YOU UP! They're gonna EAT YOU UP!" She looked at Dew. "You hear that, Dew?! They're gonna EAT YOU UP!" She suddenly lunged for him, her claws reaching for him. "THEY'RE GONNA EAT YOU UP, DEW!"  
Dew dodged to the side. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" he snapped, then started laughing. "You need to shut up, Vapor! Don't speak you stupid... Television!" He looked up at the treetops. "WOW, this forest is noisy!"  
Jet took a step back. _What's going on? _He bumped into the Blaziken that Glameow had thrown rocks at. His wounds were still open.  
The Blaziken turned around. "Oops, I'm sorry!" he said in a squeaky voice. He gave a bow. "Please forgive me. I didn't mean to let you bump into me."  
Dew grinned. "Hey, its not your fault."  
The Blaziken blinked back at him. "WOW, this forest is noisy!"  
Jet gave a fake grin, wanting to get away. Pokemon did strange things all around him, while Vapor continued singing her song and Dew continued to scream at people.  
_Whats happening? _Jet hoped it was just Dew pranking him.  
He rushed to the front of the group, poking Lady Pidgeot. "Lady Pidgeot?" he asked. "We should get out of this forest. We're not getting anywhere..."  
Lady Pidgeot turned around, smiling. "Awww, Jet!" She gave him a pat on the head. "You're just so adorable!" She smiled again. "We're not going anywhere anytime soon!" Her face turned somewhat angry. "So stop bothering me about it!" She shoved him backwards, causing him to fall on some leaves. They crunched beneath his weight.  
Lady Pidgeot stared at the trees. "...Where were we going, again?" She looked at Jet. "Jet!" she started frantically, "Jet, where are we going?!" She looked frantically from side to side, her gaze showing worry. Her eyes then turned... different.  
_What? What's with her eyes? _Jet didn't know how to put it, but they were different somehow.  
"WOW," she started, "This forest is noisy!"  
There it was again. What was happening? Was it the forest?  
Jet looked around the forest area they were in. This time he knew for sure they had already been through here. He glanced around frantically for someone sane. Something was definetly happening.  
He walked through the group, leaves crunching beneath his feet. While he was looking another way, he bumped into someone's body.  
"Hey!" he scolded. "Watch it!"  
Jet looked up at Seviper; a member of Team Rivalry. He was relieved to see that Seviper had a normal look in his eye.  
_I have to talk to him fast... He might become like the others, too._  
"What'ssss witttthhhh all the otherssss?" he hissed, tilting his head. "Zangoosssssse hasssss completely lossssssst it." His gaze drifted to his partner, who was jumping at the air, clasping his paws together.  
"I'll get you, you stupid floating octopuss!" he threatened, jumping at the air and clasping his paws together. "Aha!" he cried in delight, returning to the ground, and opening his paws to look at his prize. "I got y- Awww... He got away." He turned to Seviper. "Seviper!" he cried. "He got away again!" Tears rolled down his cheeks, spattering on the ground. "He got away again..." Suddenly, his gaze drifted to the treetops.  
Jet waited for it.  
"WOW," Zangoose exclaimed, "This forest is noisy!"  
Seviper cast a worried look at Jet. "What'sssss happening?"  
Jet shook his head. "I have no idea, but we're gonna be stuck here according to Lady Pidgeot."  
Seviper sighed. "Hassss ssssshhhheeee gone bonkersssss too?"  
Jet nodded. "You and I appear to be the only sane ones."  
_What do we have in common?_  
Seviper flicked his tail. "I hope you don't go crazy, or I'll-" He looked to the side. "What wassssss that?"  
Jet looked to where his gaze fell. It fell on a large bush, one Jet hadn't noticed before. "What do you mean?"  
"I heard sssssomething..."  
Jet looked down at his feet. Seviper must be going crazy too...  
"Jet!" he cried. "I sssssaw sssssssomeone. Sssshhhheeee wassss red and white..."  
Jet looked over at him as he described what he saw."  
Seviper's eyes widened. "Almosssst looked like-" He cut himself off.  
"Seviper?" Jet asked. "Dude, you okay? Tell me who you saw!"  
Seviper continued to stare at the bushes. "Why am I drowning?" His eyes grew wide as he whipped around to face Jet. "Jet! I'm drowning!"  
Jet stopped trying to get information out of him. He had lost it. Though... what had he saw?  
Jet grimaced. What was happening, and why hadn't he been afftected?  
_I have to find out._  
Seviper stared at the treetops. "WOW, this forest is noisy!"

•  
Rita walked behind Lilligant and Whimsicott, Beedrill buzzing on to her about how they had formed a rescue team, and all their adventures.  
Other group members dragged frozen bodies, fire type Pokemon doing their best to melt them as they walked. Smoke was one of them.  
Rita still felt like she knew Lilligant from somewhere else... anywhere else. She stared at the back of her green head as they walked.  
"And so..." she continued. "After your team rescued me from Heat Mountain, me and Whimsicott got together to form a rescue team!" She let out a giggle.  
"We found Beedrill here not too long ago~!" Whimsicott sang. "He was a Kakuna, and then he evolved and now-"  
"Now I'm all powerful!" Beedrill cut it, crossing his arms. ...Or whatever they were.  
Whimsicott puffed out her cheeks. "Let me talk!" She looked back at Rita. "Oh, and by the way, we've renamed ourselves."  
"Why would you rename yourselves?" Rooge asked, seeming interested.  
Rita thought the Roggenrolla was a little _too _interested.  
Lilligant spun in a circle. "Because calling us by our Pokemon names is so _boring_!" She giggled. "Like your name, Rooge, has a ring to it~!" She gave a small hum. "Rooge the Roggenrolla... It's a nice sound!"  
Rooge gave a bounce. "Thank you, miss!" He stared at her. "Let me guess... you renamed yourself Lilly?"  
Lilligant giggled. "How'd you know?"  
Rita felt familiarity flood through her whole body. _Why? Why does she seem so familiar? She can't be my guardian, Lilligant... She's dead. And Lilligant didn't have a name... _She stared at Lilly's excited eyes.  
_...Did she?_  
"Don't hog all the spotlight, Lilly!" Whimsicott scolded. She looked at Rooge and Rita. "My name's Flake." She closed her eyes, only to open them to Rooge and Rita's confused faces. "As in snow flake," she pointed out.  
Rita nodded. "OOOOOHHHHHHHH." She stared at the ground. "OOOOHHHHHH." She looked at the sobbing Squirtle behind her, tears running down it's cheeks. "OOOOOHHHHHH." She looked back at Flake. "OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH."  
Rooge bounced. "Gotcha."  
Rita looked at Beedrill. "Does he have a name?"  
Beedrill shook his head, smiling. "Nah. I like Beedrill. It's cool!"  
"No it's not!" someone called.  
Rita stared back at Lilly. _She's so familiar..._  
Lilly caught her eye. "Yes?"  
The Delcatty quickly looked away. "N-Nothing..."  
Lilly grinned.  
_I need to find out why she's so familiar..._

•  
Plasma gracefully glided through the cave.  
_How long does this stupid go on? _She frowned. _It'll be forever until we reach the Res- _  
Her thoughts were cut off as a flock of Zubat flew through the cave. She shot a glare at Crobat. "Tell your family to stop doing that!" she growled. "I swear, I think it's the tenth time they've done that. I think they're just trying to annoy us now."  
Crobat frowned at her. "Just because I'm their final evolution doesn't mean that they'll listen to me."  
"Why don't you go join them, then?" Plasma asked. "I'm sure they'd be happy to-"  
She was cut off as they flew by again, their tiny wings hitting her face.  
"SCREW OFF!" she shouted across the cave.  
"Be quiet, Plasma!" Moon hissed. "Ruby's still upset, and she doesn't need you shouting!"  
Plasma glanced across the group at Ruby, who was leading... alone. She was muttering something to herself that Plasma could barely hear; something about a Pokemon named Diamond.  
_Poor Ruby._  
They had left Emerald's body behind, to Ruby's disgust.  
"Hey Plasma!"  
Plasma turned around, facing another Emolga. She tilted her head to the side. "And you are...?"  
"Dio!"  
"Oh..."  
_Gross!_  
"I know what you think of me," he started, "But I'm willing to stay an Emolga forever if we can be together."  
This loser had been bothering her for quite a while, but he hadn't proposed this yet.  
Plasma floated to the ground, walking on her feet now. Dio did the same.  
Moon stared at the two, rolling her eyes.  
Plasma looked straight ahead. "Not interested."  
"OHHHHH, you just got turned _down_!" a Pokemon shouted from the back of the cave.  
"C'mon, Plasma," he urged. "We'll be amazing together, live a happy life, have an amazing kid, get a-"  
"She said she's not interested!" Crobat snapped at him. He was in the air, scowling at Dio.  
_What the supermeatloaf is his problem? _  
"I have everything under control!" Plasma yelled at him, shaking her fist in the air. "You don't need to be so _rude_!"  
Crobat frowned at her. "You don't need to-"  
"Let it go, Crobat," Mightyena soothed. "Just keep moving."  
A tiny light appeared at the end of the cave as Ruby poked her head up. "We're almost... there..."  
Plasma looked ahead, Dio finally having left her. She noticed a dark figure further back from the group, falling behind. She turned her head around to see Ten staring at an insription on the wall. He had a sad look on his face as he stared at it.  
Plasma squinted, trying to read what it was.  
It read, "T + L", with a heart around it.  
Not knowing what it stood for, Plasma shrugged, walking forward.  
As the group exited the cave, a large, foamy beach came into view. Everyone recognized it immediatley, except for Game members.  
Plasma dashed on to the burning sand, flopping down in it.  
"Crystal Beach!" she heard someone shriek.  
Plasma rolled around in the sand, the heat from it burning her pelt, but she didn't care. She scrambled to her feet, spotting a large, green building in the distance.  
_We're home!_  
She swallowed her excitement, feeling that she might burst. It was easy to tell that the camp was fully re-built. She waited for Ruby to give the signal that they could enter it.  
Ruby nodded, as a trampede of Pokemon hurled towards the Rescue Camp.  
As Plasma glided towards it, she noticed another group in front of it. She stopped herself as she came face to face with a huge ice block, a Garnet hiding inside of it.  
A creeped look took over her face as she smacked the ice block away.  
It fell down, landing on top of someone.  
"Ouch!" Smoke's voice cried.  
Plasma chuckled at his insolence.  
"Smoke?" Moon asked, lifting Garnet off him. "Are you okay?!"  
_What's she so worried about?_  
Smoke stood up, shaking the dirt off him. "I'm fine," he said, looking at Moon and smiling. "Thanks."  
Moon's face flushed slightly, giving a nod. "You're welcome!"  
Plasma smirked. _I see now. _She 'accidentally' fell into Moon, forcing her towards Smoke. "OOPSIE DAISY, MY BAD. I DIDN'T MEAN TO FALL INTO YOU THEREFORE MOVING YOU CLOSER TO SMOKE. NO, NOT AT ALL."  
Moon turned around at her, her face red. "You're rude!" She smacked her.  
Plasma's face stung. "No, you're rude!" She smacked Moon's face back.  
Moon slapped her.  
Plasma slapped her back.  
As they smacked eachother, Plasma wondered where Lady Pidgeot's group was.

•  
Jet stared at everybody, completely confused.  
"And a slice for Rita, and a slice for Plasma, and a slice for Persian..." Vapor continued to make gashes on her arm. Jet worried that she would eventually try to eat her 'cake'.  
A flash of red and white caught his eye.  
Jet whipped towards it, noticing the bushes rustling. "Hello?" he called.  
"HELLO, JET!" a bunch of Pokemon answered at once.  
Jet rolled his eyes. Were they all going to die in this forest? It was only a matter of time before a massacre broke out. Jet walked towards the huge bush."Who's there?!" he demanded.  
The reply was a terrified squeak.  
Jet pushed his way through the bushes, gaping in surprise as he came face to face with a Latias.  
_W-W-What?! _He stared at her. _What's Latias doing here?! She's a super rare Pokemon! One's lucky just to catch a glimpse of her!_  
"Please don't be mad at me!" Latias squeaked. "I'm just following orders!" She clasped her hands together in plea.  
Jet tilted his head. "Wha... What? What are you talking about?"  
Latias pointed towards the group. "The-" She clasped her other hand over her mouth. "Why aren't you crazy?!"  
_Was she on drugs? _"I don't know!" he shouted. "Why are they?!" He tilted his head. "And what do you mean, 'Following orders'?"  
Latias gasped. "You must be the human!"  
"What?! How do you know I'm human?!"  
"Ra-" She cut herself off, giving a shy huff. "That's classified..."  
"What?"  
"Listen..." Latias started, lowering her voice. "I'm not doing this because I want to... I'm just following orders," she explained. "They have all gone crazy because of the curse he had me put on the forest. You're not insane because you're a human, but it'll happen if you stay here too long." She looked to the side. "The curse is that the forest makes you exactly what you aren't. For your snappy Dewott friend over there. it's angry." She pointed towards the Blaziken. "For him, it's shy."  
Jet grabbed her by the chin. "Who are you working for?!"  
Latias looked to the side. "That's classified..."  
"Tell me!" Jet shouted in her face. "Or I'll break your neck!"  
"Eep!" Latias frowned, terror in her eyes. "I can't tell you! Froslass would yell at me again!" She pushed herself away from Jet. "Besides..." Her innocent look was covered up by a smirk. "It's fun watching them all."  
"Froslass?"  
_Does she mean the Froslass _we_ met? _Jet wondered. He glared at Latias. "Undo this, now! We have to get home!"  
"No!" Latias yelled back at him. She suddenly looked satisfied with herself. "Wow, I've never said 'no' like that before..." She smirked at Jet. "I like it."  
Jet lunghed at her with Ice Punch, growling.  
Latias dodged quickly, disappearing.  
_T-That speed!_  
She appeared behind him. "Boo." She fired Dragon Pulse at him, hitting him square in the back.  
Jet flew backwards, his face smacking into a tree. His body flopped on to the ground as he stared at the top of the tree. Something dropped from the tree, landing on his stomach. His head aching, he continued to look at the top of the tree.  
_This forest is kind of... _  
He looked over at Latias, who was reaching for the thing on his belly. His eyes widened. "NOISY!" He felt his sanity slip away as he lunged for Latias, blocking her reach of the object.  
Jet had no control over his actions as he fought Latias, his sanity completely wiped away.  
_What is this chair doing attacking me?! _Jet stared wildly at Latias. "My remote!" he cried. "My remote is gone!"  
Latias stared at him, grinning. "Well, looks like you've finally lost it." She puffed out her chest. "I finally did something right!"  
"You stole my remote, didn't you?!" Jet asked her, angry. "Give it back!"  
"Rae will be so proud of me!" Latias sang. "And Froslass will respect me!"  
_Rae? Who's ...Rae? _The name seemed familiar. A little too familiar. Did he know Rae?  
His gaze fell on the item on the ground. It looked like a remote. "My remote!" he exclaimed joyfully. "I found it!" He reached down, picking it up.  
Latias broke off her fantasy. "Wait!" she cried. "Don't touch that!"  
Jet glared at her. "Shut up, sock puppet!" He narrowed his eyes. "Or I'll _kill _you."  
Terror filled Latias's eyes. She sighed as Jet played with the remote. "Great... Froslass will yell at me again..." She looked at the treetops. "I just want her to like me."  
Jet pointed the device at a tree. "Channel fifty one," he said, as he clicked a purple button. He clapped his hands in delight as he picked up a rock, throwing it at Latias.  
Latias dodged it, staring at him like he was a freak.  
_So much noise! _Jet thought as he bit down on his arm. _It's just like a- _  
Jet blinked, still holding the device. _What am I...? _He looked over at Latias. "What am I doing...?"  
"Eeeep!" she cried. "I'm in so much trouble! I still have to report it to him... though..."  
"Wait!" Jet called. "Who do you mean?"  
She vanished into thin air.  
Jet crossed his arms. _Great..._  
"AAAIIIEEEEE!" he heard Vapor screech. "What's wrong with my arm?!"  
Jet turned towards the bush, pushing his way through it to the other side. He stared in awe at everyone. They all seemed sane again.  
_When did that happen...?_  
"IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!" Vapor violently shook her arm around.  
"Hold still!" Flower scolded, now by her side. She had leaves weaved together to form a bandage. "Let me put it on!"  
Lady Pidgeot looked confused. "What... Happened?"  
_I'll have to explain it to her... _  
_•_  
Jet felt relieved as he exited the happy forest. Though, he was a bit disappointed to be leaving. He had explained his encounter with Latias to Lady Pidgeot, and how they all went insane.  
The forest led to an open field, a beach in the distance. Jet smiled as he recognized it.  
The sun set behind the ocean, making the sea glow with colors. It was beautiful.  
"WE'RE HOME!" he heard Glameow screech. Her and Skittles pelted towards the green building in the distance.  
Dew nudged Jet with his elbow. "Good to be home, huh?"  
Jet grinned as his group proceeded towards the Rescue Camp. "Yeah."  
Vapor flicked her tail. "Do you think Persi-" she cut herself off. "I mean... Ruby and Emerald's group is back yet?"  
Jet shot a puzzled look at her before answering. "I'm not sure.."  
"Yeah," Dew said, pointing to a group that had gathered in front of the Rescue Camp. "They're all waitin' for us."  
"It's finished!" Lady Pidgeot exclaimed. She reached up on her head to grab Pidgey, wrapping him in her golden feathers. "Thank Arceus!"  
As they neared the group, Jet noticed that Emerald was missing. _Where'd she go...? _He shook his head. _Must be getting food or something._

•  
When Rita entered the Rescue Camp, she was more than glad to see that it looked exactly the same. The spiral stairs were in the same place as she climbed them, and Floor 2 looked exactly the same. The 'missions' board was where it should be, and the silver room lurked in the exact same place, the door the same silver color.  
"Wow, this place is _really _small," she heard a Game Pokemon comment.  
"Why is it so famous?" another asked.  
Rita ignored them. She was too excited to be back home.  
_Home... _She looked around the second floor, taking in all the images. _Is this my home? _She remembered someone saying that home isn't a house or a place to stay.  
_It's the place where people still love you. _She smiled. _This is home._  
"It's so GREAT to be back!" Plasma exclaimed, flopping down on the floor.  
"It looks... exactly the same."  
Persian's bored tone reminded her of Rici.  
_Please be okay... _Rita pleaded silently. _Please be okay..._  
Lady Pidgeot made her way into the room, gaping in excitement. "It's... perfect. Exploud would be so happy..." There was a hint of saddness in her voice.  
Rae stretched his arms out. Rita noticed a red scarf-like thing wrapped around his tail. "The Machamp team did quite a good job of..." As he turned away, Rita saw him smirk. "...Repairing the damages."  
_I still have to talk to Lady Pidgeot..._  
"M' lady!"  
Rita turned around as a Machamp emerged from the Silver Room.  
Lady Pidgeot dipped her head. "Machamp... Thank you so much!"  
Machamp nodded. "No problem, no problem. We used the same wood and brick that was used before. This is the original Rescue Camp, everything where it's supposed to be."  
_Does that mean Pidgey's secret passage is still here? _Rita itched to get back to her old room, and lay on her old cotton bed, maybe even check to see if the passage was still there.  
Lady Pidgeot nodded. "Thank you, once again."  
Machamp waved. "No prob, no prob. Anytime you need something fixed, just send for us. Our business is right in town." He put his hand down. "Of course... we made some minor additions, at Rae's request. I'm sure you'll find them lovely," he added.  
_Did I just see... the slightest daze in his eye? _Rita shook her head. _Can't be... Rae wouldn't pull something like that again... would he?_  
"What might they be?" Lady Pidgeot asked.  
Machamp pointed to a white elevator next to the silver one, at the far end of the room. "There's a new elevator," he explained. "It makes you state your name and then takes you to the floor of your choosing." He smiled. "My wife's voice is the voice that's used. The elevator's in case the other two ever break down... you know what I mean, right?" He continued to speak. "That 'haunted' floor of yours is still as it was. We've added a couple water fountains, since Rae really likes water fountains, and we've added an extra room on Floor 7." He grinned. "That's about it. I'll be seeing ya!" He waltzed out before Lady Pidgeot could say anything.  
_Why would Rae request _nice _additions for the Rescue Camp?_  
Lady Pidgeot flashed a smile at Rae. "I need to thank you too." She walked over to him as he grinned up at her. "It's been a pleasure having you here, Rae," she chirped. "You've been such a great help to everyone, I don't know how to thank you."  
"Awwwww." Rae scratched the back of his head. "You make me blush." He laughed slightly. "It'd be nice if I could... stay here for a while, though," he said, flashing a quick glance in Rita's direction. "My den is quite a walk from here, and I've been walking _all _day. Could I hang here for a few days? Maybe a few weeks if it comes to that? I have... business here, to take care of."  
_Say no! Say no! _Rita willed.  
Lady Pidgeot put on a blissful smile. "Of course you can! Make yourself at home! It'd be a joy having you here again!"  
_The odds are never in my favor... _[Lawl, Effie :3]  
Rae saluted her. "Gracias, M' Lady."  
"Now," Lady Pidgeot started, "If you'll excuse me, I have announcements to make." She turned to the Pokemon that were flooding into the building, some of them dragging frozen teammates. "Attention, Rescue Camp and Game members!"  
Everyone's heads' turned towards her.  
"It's been a long, long break," she started. "But as soon as morning hits, the normal routine will resume, starting with the Pledge, first thing in the morning!" She looked to the side like she was thinking. "As you know, we no longer have Exploud..." She glanced around at the teams. "So Team Shade will wake up everyone who sleeps in."  
Rita noticed Crobat give an irritated sigh, while Mightyena stood quietly next to him. She waited for Night to do something, but remembered with a pang of sadness that Night was still missing.  
_Will we ever find her?_  
"I want missions stared immediatley," Lady Pidgeot urged. "We've fallen quite behind, and I have to raise the rank of a lot teams..." She cast a glance at Rita.  
Excitement ran through her paws. Was she going to rank up? _Team Meteor will be Bronze Rank, then. _She grinned to herself.  
"We'll do that at dinner, but first I want all fire type Pokemon to help unfreeze Garnet and the others." She looked over at Ruby as she looked up at her. "I'd like to speak with you, too, in private." She tilted her head towards the Silver Room.  
"WAIT, LADY PIDGEOT, WAIT!"  
Team Biscuit- or whatever they were- came rushing up to Lady Pidgeot, who had a puzzled look on her face.  
"Listen, I have important things to do, and-"  
"We know, we know," Flake started.  
"We'll make it quick!" Beedrill finished.  
Lady Pidgeot tapped her foot impatiently. "Well...?"  
"We wanna form a Rescue Team!" Lilly said. "We already have the name.." she cast a glance at her two teammates. "And everything!"  
"Sorry, we pick the name," Lady Pidgeot sighed. "And of course..." She looked at the three, her eyes falling on Lilly. "You seem familiar."  
_Her too?!_  
She continued to stare at Lilly, as if reading her mind. "Your team name will be Team Biscuit."  
"YES!" Lilly punched the air, while her team mates gave a sigh.  
"I'll register you later, right now I have to talk to Ruby." Her and Ruby stalked off into the silver room, smacking the door behind them.  
_Dang it, I still need to talk to her about Rae! _Rita frowned. _I guess I'll do it later. I still wanna check the passage... _She looked around to see if any of her friends weren't busy, but they all seemed lost in their chatter. Rita shrugged, starting towards the silver elevator. She didn't trust the white one.  
"Where ya goin, Rita?"  
Rae's voice made her jump.  
"To my room," Rita growled.  
Rae waved his hands in front of his face defensively. "No need to get all rude. I just wanna talk to you."  
Rita ignored him as he followed her in the elevator. She shot an irritated glance at him. "You're not going to kill me in here right?" she asked, then lowered her voice. "Like you killed Emerald?"  
Rae smiled at her. "Not until later." He looked at the elevator's ceiling as Rita pressed the '22' button. "And that needed to be done. I did everyone a favor."  
"What?" Rita hissed. "Is killing your hobby or something?"  
"More like a way of life," Rae replied smoothly.  
"You killed Team Shadow Cloud too, didn't you?"  
Rae's smile disappeared. "They needed to go, too. They were going to tell Lady Pidgeot." He cast a glance at Rita. "I dunno why you haven't tried telling her yet."  
Rita rolled her eyes. "I _am_ telling her." She glared at him. "What did you want to talk to me about, anyway?"  
The elevator dinged as it's doors opened, revealing Floor 22.  
_It's just like it was before... _She glanced at the balcony, grinning. _That's where I met Jet... _She hesitated. _Well, in this world, anyway._  
"Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" Rae asked irratibly as Rita walked towards her room at the end of the hallway.  
She grinned stupidly as she passed Team Attract's room. "Why would I _want _to listen you a word you say?"  
"Cocky, aren't we?" Rae huffed. "It's about your guardian, Lilligant, so maybe you'd like to listen."  
Rita stopped walking. The last she'd seen of Lilligant was when she had told Rita about Mightyena being the fifth. Gengar then found her, and Rita didn't see the rest. "What about her?" she asked.  
Rae had an annoyed look on his face. "I don't know how the Hell she got herself out of the Spirit World and into the body of that Lilligant downstairs, but you tell her to stay out of my way," he snarled. "Or I'll send her back to the Spirit World myself."  
Rita looked back at him. "She's Lilligant? _My _Lilligant?"  
Rae rolled his eyes. "No, she's Plasma's Snorlax," he said sarcastically. "Of _course _she's your Lilligant. Are you blind as well as deaf?"  
"How'd she get here?" Rita asked. "And what did Gengar do to her?!"  
"Like I said, I don't know, but if I catch you talking to her," he started. "She's roadkill. I'll take her and-" He cut himself off as he clasped his head. "Owww!" Suddenly, something caused his pupils to disappear into tiny slits as his eyes turned red.  
"Kill her!" a voice that didn't sound like Rae's sounded. "Do it now, while nobody's watching!"  
Rae's eyes turned back to normal as he spoke. "I can't! Someone'll hear her scream!"  
As Rae argued with himself, Rita slowly backed away towards the silver elevator. She clicked the button and quickly climbed in, going down to Floor 3.  
_What's happening to him? _She nodded as she came to a conclusion. Split-personality. That's what it was.  
The elevator doors opened, revealing the third floor, the mess hall at the end of the room. Warm scents hit Rita's nose. _It must be dinner already... _Rita started towards the mess hall, entering the warm room. She quickly glanced around for her friends.  
She spotted Plasma, Moon, and Smoke in the normal table in the corner of the room, the huge window beside it.  
She spotted Jet and Vapor staring across the room at Dew, who was attempting to- what Rita thought was 'hitting on'- Lily, the Umbreon from Team Light.  
Shaking her head and grinning, she spotted Flower with Team Nyan, Mightyena, Ten, and Crobat at a table not too far from her's, Sweetie and Sapphire with two other Game members, and Team Z in the normal spot they used to sit at.  
Everything seemed so normal.  
She made her way to her table, taking her spot next to Smoke, and across from Moon. She noticed Moon staring weirdly at Smoke as he talked about how much work it was unfreezing Garnet.  
_When are we gonna eat?_ She looked around, her gaze catching Team Biscuit as they awkwardly walked into the mess hall. She eyed Lilly.  
_She's... Lilligant. How did she get here? _She then remembered Rae's warning. _I don't want to put her life in danger... _She frowned.  
"HEY!"  
Dew's voice cut off her thoughts.  
She turned to him as he speed-walked his way towards their table.  
Plasma's eyes widened as she held up her paws in defense. "I swear- I didn't do it! I didn't mean to, it was an accident!"  
Dew stared at her oddly. "I don't know what you're talking abo-" He cut himself off. "_YOU!" _he shouted at her. "_You _stole my chocolate bar, didn't you?!" He started towards her. "I'll kill y-"  
Rita stopped him, turning him around. "What do you need...?"  
Dew looked back at her. "Okay, it's hard to explain, but Lily over there-" He pointed towards the Umbreon, who was sitting with her partner, Espeon. "Is my friend, and I asked her if she wanted to get something to eat sometime in town, and she said, "Sure! It can be a double date! That'd be fun!" And I asked her what she meant and she said that she was going with her boyfriend, and said that I can go with _my_ girlfriend, and-"  
"Slow down." Rita stared at him, confused. "You don't have a girlfriend, anyway. And where is this going?"  
Moon and Smoke stared at him, while Plasma held up her arms in an 'X' formation muttering something about demons leaving her alone.  
"She thinks you're my girlfriend, because she saw us kiss and everything," he explained. "So you need to come with me to lunch tomorrow with her and whoever this '_Vint_' is."  
Rita frowned. "No. I'm not gonna go and _pretend _to be your girlfriend just so you can hit on Lily in front of her boyfriend!" She shot a quick glance at Jet, then back at Dew. "No."  
Smoke chuckled. "_Wow_."  
"C'mon, Rita," he pleaded. "I helped you with Jet. You can atleast help me with Lily!"  
Rita sighed. "You just started talking to her. And besides, she _has _a boyfriend. How can you already like her?"  
"I've never liked anyone before," Dew pouted. "And who said I liked her? She's just... really cool. _Please _Rita. I can take care of Vint. He sounds mean anyways. _Please_."  
Rita let out an irritated sigh. "_Fine_." She glared at him. "But when this Vint guy attacks you, I'm not helping."  
"Yay!" Dew threw his arms around Rita. "Thanks! You're the best!"  
"Don't touch!" Rita hissed. "I'm mad at you now. Go sit down."  
"Of course, sweetie." He gave her a wink before heading back over to Jet and Vapor.  
Rita rolled her eyes. "Drama. Seriously. I feel like I'm back in high school..."  
Plasma tilted her head, her arms back at her side. "What's high school?"  
"Another word for 'Hell'."  
"Sounds fun," Smoke said sarcastically.  
"Attention all Rescue Teams!" Lady Pidgeot's cry rang out.  
Immediatly, all heads whipped in her direction.  
Garnet was beside her, Ruby beside him, looking completely distraught. A blue box was at Lady Pidgeot's feet.  
"Before we eat dinner, I'd like to rank up quite a few rescue teams." She smiled as applause rang out through the overly-crowded mess hall. "I only wish that our missing team members could be here..." She shook her head, giving another smile. "I'll begin anyway."  
Rita hoped with all her heart that her and Smoke would rank up. They hadn't gone on many missions, but being in the tournament counted as a lot.  
"Team Water Pulse, please stand up."  
Jet, Vapor, and Dew all rose as Lady Pidgeot made her way towards them.  
"You are now Gold Rank," she stated. "Here are your new badges." She drew her golden wing, handing each of them a gold-looking badge.  
Jet grinned. "Thanks, Lady Pidgeot."  
"Thank you!" Vapor dipped her head. Rita watched her eyes drift to Team Z's table before quickly returning to Lady Pidgeot.  
Dew saluted her. "Thanks Lady P!"  
Lady Pidgeot narrowed her eyes as him before going back to the middle of the room, picking more badges out of the box.  
Team Water Pulse sat down.  
"Team Shade, please stand up."  
Rita felt a part of her heart sink as she watched Mightyena and Crobat rise without Night. She hoped Night would make it back soon.  
Ignoring Night's absence, Lady Pidgeot continued towards Team Shade. "You are now Gold Rank. Here are your new badges." She handed them both a gold badge. She hesitated as she set the third down on the table. "In case she comes back..." she said quietly.  
Mightyena nodded. "Thanks."  
"What he said." Crobat jolted his head towards Mightyena.  
Lady Pidgeot continued the process with three other teams; Team Nyan, who upped to Silver rank, Team Light, who upped to silver rank as well, and Team Jewel, who upped to Silver Rank.  
"Team Lu-" Lady Pidgeot cut herself off. "Flower..."  
Flower slowly rose, now at Rita's table.  
"I would rank you up to Silver Rank... Flower..." she started. "But you've gone too long without a team..."  
"I know," Flower said quietly. "And I've made my decision." She glanced at Moon and Plasma before looking back at Lady Pigeot. "I'd like to join Team Attract, if it's okay with them."  
"Of _course _its okay with us!" Plasma announced, putting her arm around Flower. "I'd be _great _to have a third member!" She looked at Flower, making her hand into a fist. 'We'll be even _more_ invincible than we were before!"  
Moon nodded. "It's fine with me, but you're making a spectacle," she hissed.  
Lady Pidgeot grinned. "Very well." She looked down at her box, retrieving two badges. "Flower, you already have your bronze badge, so I hope its okay with you to wait a little longer for your Silver Badge."  
Flower nodded, while Plasma and Moon bounced excitedly.  
Lady Pidgeot gave them each a bronze badge, grinning.  
Plasma chuckled. "YOU SEE THIS, SUCKA FOOLS?" She held up her badge, giving a little dance.  
Moon rolled her eyes. "Sit down."  
Plasma shrugged, doing as told for once. "Welcome to the team, Flower!"  
Lady Pidgeot continued with Team Jewel, and Rita jumped as Team Meteor was called.  
Smoke pulled Rita to her feet.  
Rita could feel his excitement seeping through him. She almost forgot that when they first met, he had always wanted to be part of a Rescue Team.  
_I'm so happy for him... _She smiled at her partner.

•  
He was too excited to notice as Lady Pidgeot headed towards them with two bronze badges.  
"For our newest recruits..." She held out the badges to Smoke and Rita. Smoke grabbed one right away, while Rita followed behind him. "You are now Bronze Rank." The gold Pidgeot smiled. "Congradulations[?]." She turned her head back to everyone else.  
Smoke stared in awe at his badge. _Wow... it's so sexy... _He looked across the room. _Like that Kirlia over there... Damn. _He licked his lips. _I'd tap that. _  
Lady Pidgeot threw him a horrified look before blocking his view of the Kirlia. "Get a room..." she muttered, before turning back to the crowd.  
_Can she read my mind?!_  
"Uh.." She seemed slightly disturbed. "We are now done with the ranking up... so.. LET THEM EAT CAKE!"

•  
"The gold and silver elevators shut down, M' Lady," Rae told Lady Pidgeot. "I'm afraid something clogged them up. The white elevator will have to be used."  
Rita rolled her eyes. _Just great. I get to use Rae's new death machine. _Her belly was full, and her spirits were high before Rae announced that the white elevator must be used.  
_I'll go with others just in case..._  
Rita found herself standing next to Jet in the line for the elevator. Feeling awkward, she didn't look up at him.  
Dew must have noticed. "Why aren't you two talking?" he asked. "Speak words, if you know Pokemon, I mean."  
_Talk about what?! _She threw a quick glance up at Jet before her face turned hot. She quickly looked down, feeling Dew's confused gaze on her.  
"Honestly.." he started. "You two are the weirdest coup-" He cut himself off. "Ah! Lily's coming!" He quickly grabbed Rita, kissing her again.  
Rita pulled herself away just as Jet's fist met with Dew's face.  
Lily stalked away, not noticing.  
"I'm sorry!" Dew hissed up at Jet. "But I had to do that."  
Jet rolled his eyes. "You don't need to do _that_, Dewwy."  
"I had to make it look convincing!"  
"She didn't even notice."  
As the two fought, Rita rolled her eyes again. _They're starting to sound like Moon and Plasma. _She glanced around. _Where are they, anyway?_  
"S'cuse me, pardon me!" Plasma's voice sounded as irritated utters sounded from the crowd. "Let me through... Don't you growl at me, derp face! I'm allowed to cut... Move... Thanks... EXCUSE ME!"  
Rita laughed slightly. Plasma was pushing her way through the crowd of Pokemon. It was huge now, and it was said that all Game members could choose a room that suited them as long as it wasn't being used by a Rescue Team.  
"MOVE, YOU STUPID FISH-FACE!" Plasma's voice was just behind Rita now.  
"Plasma!" Moon scolded. "Calm down!" Plasma had her arm, pulling her through the crowd.  
Flower was floating above. "She's like this all the time?"  
Moon let out an irritated sigh. "All the time."  
To a certain extent, Rita felt bad for the Clefairy, but she'd love to have Plasma as a partner.  
Plasma pushed her way through Team Z. "Persian, you need to lose some weight."  
"You need to lose some personality," he replied blankly.  
"You need to gain some personality!" Plasma shot back.  
Wigglytuff clapped his hands together. "Persian has a new friend~!" he sang dumbly.  
Rita hadn't noticed that everyone seemed to be together now. Team Shade was ahead of them, only two Pokemon in between them and her, Team Attract was now here, Team Water Pulse was here, and herself and Smoke.  
_Only Rici and Night are missing... _Rita felt a longing for her brother. She had begun to miss him terribly. _Please come back... _She pleaded. She cast a glance at Vapor, wanting to talk with the nice Vaporeon, except she was staring at Persian, something Rita had seen before in her gaze.  
_So Vapor has a crush on _that_ pathetic excuse for a Pokemon? _Rita shook her head, grinning.  
Persian narrowed his eyes at Vapor. "What?" He didn't seem as annoyed as he usually did.  
Vapor looked away. "Nothing..."  
Persian shrugged.  
"Friends~!" Wigglytuff cheered.  
"How many Pokemon fit in that elevator at once?" Moon asked.  
"If it's the same size as the others..." Dragonite counted on his fingers, muttering something about width and height. "About ten, but it also depends on how big a Pokemon is. It might be big, too."  
The elevator doors opened up, revealing a huge, white space that could fit about twenty Pokemon at the most.  
Dragonite shrugged. "Guess it's bigger."  
Team Shade started in, followed by the Game members behind them, Team Meteor, Team Water Pulse, Team Attract, and Team Z.  
As Dragonite stepped in, a female voice sounded above.  
"Weight limit reached," it said sweetly. "No more passengers."  
The elevator doors closed, inclosing them in a completely white area.  
_The voice must be Machamp's wife, like he said. _Rita looked around. _It's kind of... creepy in here... Like a mental institution where they lock you up in a white room..._  
"Please give your names," the female voice said.  
"Why do we have to give our names?" Jet asked. He sounded as suspicious as Rita was beginning to feel.  
"Give your names," she stated again. It sounded kind of like a threat.  
"Wigglytuff~!" Wigglytuff said first.  
"Klase," a Watchog said.  
"Lightning," a Luxio answered after him.  
"There are thirteen more of you. Please state your names."  
"How does it know how many more there are?" Moon asked.  
"The weight thing," Lightning said irratably. "Hurry up. I wanna get some sleep."  
"Persian," Persian stated blankly.  
Dragonite shrugged. "Dragonite."  
"Moon," Moon said.  
Plasma crossed her arms. "Plasma, fool!"  
"Vapor." Vapor flicked her tail, her gaze drifting to Persian.  
"Smoke."  
"DDDEEEEWWWW!"  
"Crobat," Crobat said, sounding annoyed. "Why do we have to do this?"  
"Do not question," the voice said. "There are three more of you. State your names."  
Rita, Jet, and Mightyena all shared a suspicious glance. Rita nodded at them. _I'll go first._  
"Rita."  
Jet shrugged as it did nothing. "Je-" He was cut off by the feminine voice again.  
"Passcode correct," it stated.  
_Passcode...?_  
"Reverse Mode activated."  
Suddenly, the elevator shot up at such speed that everyone was thrown to the floor. As soon as it happened, it stopped with an immense jolt, jerking everyone up. The elevator doors opened, revealing what Rita easily recognized as Floor 23.  
_I thought it was supposed to be re-done!_  
"What are we doing here?!" Moon cried.  
"Step out," the voice ordered.  
"No way!" Moon squeaked.  
"This place is weird..." Klase said, stepping out, Lightning following him. "What kind of floor is this?"  
"I like it," Lightning said, grinning. "I'd like to stay here."  
"Get out," the female voice ordered again. "Fourteen of you are still in. Get out."  
_What kind of joke is this? _  
"Rae..." Jet growled. "He must have had the elevator designed to react to one of our names. The Machamp and his wife were hypnotized."  
"Get out," the female voice said again.  
Jet sighed. "We might as well get out." He stepped out on to Floor 23. Rita noticed a glint fear in his eyes.  
Rita followed him out, a shiver going down her spine. Once again, she wondered what happened to the spirit that lived there.  
Everyone else walked out as well, except for Moon.  
"There is one more," the voice said. "Get out."  
Moon shook her head. "I'm staying right here!"  
Crobat rolled his eyes. "It's just a floor. Get out."  
Plasma slapped him. "Don't talk to her like that!" She turned to Moon. "GET YOUR FAT BUTT OUT HERE YOU STUPID COWARD!"  
"No way!" Moon yelled back. "I went out there once, I'm not going again!"  
"You have ten seconds," the voice said.  
Moon scoffed. "Or what? What can an elevator do?"  
"You will be disposed of in ten seconds."  
Moon rolled her eyes. "Oh please."  
"10... 9..."  
"Moon, get out, I don't think its joking," Rita urged.  
"7... 6..."  
Moon shook her head. "No way. That place is _creepy!_"  
"5... 4..."  
"I think it'd be a good idea to get out, _now_!" Smoke looked worried.  
Moon stared at him. "Smoke..." Attraction filled her eyes. "I'm still not getting out."  
"3... 2..."  
"Moon get out!" Plasma said, her eyes filled with fear.  
"It can't do anything!" Moon persisted.  
"1..."  
There was a silence.  
"See?" Moon asked. "I'm perfectly fi-" She was cut off as the elevator plummeted downwards, without closing the doors. It dropped at a speed Rita didn't recognize.  
"MOON!" Plasma shrieked, terror filling her eyes.  
Moon's scream drifted further and further away in an instant before the crashing of the elevator hitting the basement was heard.  
Rita couldn't hear her scream anymore.  
There was another silence.  
"What just happened?" Klase asked.  
"Exactly what needed to happen." Rae appeared out of a dark room, a shadow across his face and his eyes dark. "The ones that needed to be thrown away have been thrown away. It's only normal. Its nature; destiny."  
"Rae?" Lightning asked. "Rae! Are you stuck up here too?"  
Rae grinned. "Something like that." He clutched his head. "Wow... This really _is _an intense place..."  
There was something off about him.  
"What are you doing, Rae?" Jet challenged. "You can't trap us all up here!"  
Rae laughed physcopathically. "I'm not here to trap you. Our recent attempts to destroy you have failed..." He laughed again. "So we're just gonna dispose of you, here and now. It's lucky that we have a passage to the ghost world right here in the Rescue Camp."  
"What do you mean?" Mightyena asked.  
Rae glanced at him, smiling innocently. "Ahhh, Mightyena. You're here too!" His gaze darkened as his smile slipped away. "Traitor."  
"I go by Shade now," Mightyena growled.  
Rae sighed. "Honestly, I thought you were better than that." He cracked his neck. "You'll just have to die with the rest of them."  
Froslass, Latias, and Latios appeared beside him.  
Rae frowned. "We _were _gonna just kill you off one by one... But that's a major waste of time." He directed everyone's gaze to Latias, Latios, and Froslass.  
Rita heard Klase and Lightning gasp.  
"They're just here to watch you all get sucked into the ghost world."  
_How many worlds are there? _  
"Ghost World?" Dragonite asked, crossing his arms. "There's no such thing."  
Rae smirked. "Au contraire." He raised his arm in the air. "Alright, Gengar!" he called. "NOW!"  
In an instant, a huge black void opened up against the back wall, sucking things into it.  
Rae grabbed hold of the wall's corner, still clutching his head. His tail drifted towards the hole.  
Rita lunged for something to hold on to. She started to get sucked in, when something tightened around her paw. She looked up. Jet.  
He grinned down at her as he clung on to the elevator edge. "Don't wanna lose you now, do we?"  
"23 is a portal to the Ghost World!" Vapor cried from next to Persian. She was clinging for dear life on to him as he dug his claws into the floor.  
Crobat clung to a hanger on the wall, Plasma wrapped up in his other wing. She didn't even seem to notice; she was too busy screaming for Moon.  
Wigglytuff screeched in excitement as he clung to something sticking out of the wall. "It's like a roller coaster!"  
Dragonite, Klase, and Lightning clung to the corner of one of the room doors.  
Mightyena simply stood in the center of the room, unmoving as he glared at Rae. His fur ruffled in the direction of the void, making him look poofy. "You can't get us in there if we stay clinging like we are!" he barked.  
Rae grinned. "You think I don't realize that?" As if he was using double-team, a double formed next to him. It quickly took on the spine-chilling form of a Gengar.  
Rita gasped. _Gengar!_  
"Eeep! Gengar!" Latias cried.  
Froslass stared in amazement. "That's Gengar... full form..."  
Gengar stretched. "Wow, it feels good to be in physical form again." He gave a yawn. "Too bad it won't last long." His gaze fell on Rita, then scanned the rest of the room. "We sure have a lot of volunteers for our little ghost world tour." He raised his arms slightly above his mouth, a dark aura-like force appearing around them.  
A pounding that felt like a rock hammered in Rita's head. It made her want to let go of Jet and grab her head.  
Gengar raised his arms higher, nodding at Rae.  
Rae smirked, a rabid look in his gaze. "This is the end."  
Rita felt her grip on Jet's paw loosen. She stared into his terrified gaze. He stared back of her.  
Rae's eyes widened, a phychopathic look flashing through them. "Die!"  
Terror shot through her as Rita's paw slipped away from Jet's grip.  
Jet's eyes widened in horror. "RITA!"

•


	26. 25: Unsaid Farewells, The Ghost World?

Jet's heart lurched as Rita's paw slipped out of his. It felt like ten thousand needles pricking his heart, making it bleed on the inside. "RITA!" he cried, as she flew across the room, nearing the void.

_No! No! _

Her eyes stared back at him, speaking the words that he never had the guts to tell her.

It seemed like time appeared to stop.

_"I love you," _they whispered.

Jet stared back at her. _Rita..._

Then she was gone.

Jet's eyes widened in terror, his heart feeling like it would implode. He felt tears drip down his cheeks, only to get sucked back into the void.

"Rita!" Vapor cried, followed by another terrified scream from Flower.

"Rita went bye-bye!" Wigglytuff looked horrified. "She's gone!"

_She's gone..._

_No, she can't be gone..._

_I love her._

He never told her. He had the chance to so many times, but he blew it. And then Sweetie came along it jumbled it all up.

Rae laughed. "What a shame." He glanced at Jet. "Oh, get over it. You'll be with her eventually." He nodded to Gengar.

Gengar grinned. "Right. Who's next?"

_Rita..._  
"No volunteers?" Gengar frowned. "That's disappointing..."  
_I don't want to live anymore..._  
Gengar lifted his hands again. "I think I'll-" he was cut off as Vapor's water pulse hit him square in the face.  
"OW!" Gengar and Rae both said at the same time.  
There were tears in Vapor's eyes. "That's what you get! Rita is supposed to save us!"  
Gengar glared at her. "You shouldn't have done that."  
Persian looked up at Vapor. "Don't mess with him! We don't want you dead, too!" He looked horrified at the thought of losing Vapor.  
Tears dripped down Jets cheeks, completely unaware of what was happening.  
Gengar threw his hands in the air, as a dark aura appeared around Vapor, forcing her off Persian.  
Persian reached for her, trying to get a grip on her, but his efforts were futile.  
Gengar gripped Vapor's neck as she floated in front of him.  
"Let me go!" she spat.  
"VAPOR!" Persian was frantic.  
Flower was crying. "Let her go! Leave us alone!"  
"Uh... Gengar..." Rae glanced at Gengar. "It was only a water pulse. Just throw her in the void..."  
"Shut up!" Gengar snapped. "Don't tell me what to do, understand?"  
"Someones gonna get suspicious, and you're the one who said they didn't wanna waste time!" Rae growled.  
"Don't talk to me like that!" Gengar snapped at him, tightening his grip around Vapor's neck as she thrashed around.  
"AACKKK..." Rae clutched his head, still holding on to the wall's corner. "How... can you... still do that in... physical form?" he panted.  
Gengar grinned. "You gave me the power." He pinned Vapor to the ground with his foot. "What do I do to you, now?" he asked, grinning. "Gouge out your insides... slowly choke you to death...?" He grinned. "Oh, the options."  
Vapor gritted her teeth. "Release me!"  
_She can't be gone. She can't be gone. I love her too much._  
"VAPOR, NO!" Persian shrieked.  
Jet perked his head up. Who was shrieking? Was it Rita? Was Rita alive?!  
"What is happening?!" Lightning asked. "Where'd the Delcatty go?!"  
A knife materialized in Gengar's hand. "You really shouldn't mess with me."  
Rae hugged the corner of the wall, laughing. "Everything's so windy!" he giggled. "It's so BLISSFUL!"  
"How is he doing that?" Mightyena asked. He whipped his head to face Rae. "How is he doing that?!"  
Rae stared at him. "What? Who're you?" He broke out into laughter. "No, don't answer that. I like to imagine!"  
Vapor stared up at Gengar, her eyes widened in terror. "What, you c-can't take a w-water pulse?"  
"Your fear is just seeping right off of you." Gengar licked his lips. "I can make it go away, if you want."  
Jet snapped back into reality. He glanced wildly around, spotting Smoke with tears dripping down his cheeks. About everyone had tears dripping down their cheeks. He noticed the all stared in one direction.  
Jet followed their gaze, just in time to see Gengar bring a knife down on Vapor.  
Jet's eyes widened. _V-Vapor...! _  
Gengar repeatedly brought his knife down on Vapor as she let out choked, ragged shrieks.  
Nobody did anything, they all just stared.  
Jet stared as well. What could he do?  
_My friends are dying... and I'm just sitting here. I'm- _He cut himself off, glancing across the room at everyone. _We're all cowards._

•  
Ten was in a room on Floor 17, dreaming the best dream he had had in ages.  
The sun shone high, as he felt the giggly urge to prance towards it. Only, his eyes widened in disbelief when he spotted Lilac at the top of the hill.  
"LILAC!" he called. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"  
He felt tears of happiness well up in his eyes.  
Only Lilac looked terrified.  
"Wake up!" she hissed. "Warn Lady Pidgeot!"  
Ten tilted his head. "What...?"  
"Its Rae," she breathed. "Him and Gengar. They're upstairs, killing our only hopes for survival."  
Ten rolled his eyes. "I was happy here, and Rae's name ruined it."  
"This is no longer a dream," Lilac hissed. "I'm really talking to you."  
_What?_  
Ten narrowed his eyes. "Sure you are."  
"It's true."  
Suddenly, the happy scenery was replaced by darkness. Only him and Lilac stood in it as everything got quiet.  
"Go help them," Lilac said quietly.  
"It really is you..." Ten breathed. "I... I've missed you... More than you can imagine..."  
Lilac grinned. "I've missed you too, but now isn't the time for reunions. Rita was thrown into the Ghost World, and soon everyone else will be too, if you don't go up there and help."  
Ten straightened up. "Go where?"  
"Floor 23. It's all happening there." Lilac stared at him. "There's a hidden button in the silver elevator, find it and go to 23, but be careful, or you'll get sucked into the void, too."  
Ten nodded. "Alright..."  
He still didn't completely know what she was talking about, but if she wanted it, he would do it.

•  
Rita's eyes opened. She was inside the Rescue Camp.  
_What happened...?_  
She remembered Jet throwing her a terrified look before she disappeared somewhere. She looked down at her paws.  
_Why am I see-through?_  
"You're IN the Ghost WORLD."  
A familiar voice made her jump.  
_No way... It can't be..._  
Rita spun around, almost bursting with happiness as she stared into the eyes of the Rescue Camp's Co-Leader. "EXPLOUD!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. "You're okay! What are you doing here?! We've missed you! Lady Pidgeot has missed you..."  
Exploud rolled his eyes. "Settle DOWN. Its not THAT exciting." He grinned. "But its GOOD to see YOU too." He slowly unlatched her arms. "Actually, I've BEEN here ALL along."  
Rita tilted her head, still excited. "What do you mean? You've been gone forev-"  
"Didn't you hear him, girl?" another familiar voice sounded. "You're in the Ghost World."  
Rita turned around. "Night? You're okay, too?"  
"For HEAVENS sake, how MANY times do WE have to tell YOU?" Exploud asked. "This is THE GHOST World. We're ALL dead." As he said that, several other Pokemon appeared behind him. Rita recognized a few of them.  
_Purrloin, Thorna, Cranidos, Emerald, Trinity... _She slowly counted the Pokemon that had been announced 'Missing' after the explosion. She even spotted Team Shadow Cloud, who's bodies had been found.  
Rita frowned. _Then that means..._  
"You're dead too," Night finished for her. A sad look washed over her face. "You shouldn't be dead... Everything's gone wrong..."  
"Night..." Rita's face fell. "You really are dead..."  
"Rae..." Absol let out a growl. "If I was alive, I'd shred him..."  
Rita glanced nervously around. She couldn't believe it. Dead. Suddenly she remembered Vicky. "Is Vicky here?" she asked. "Where's Vicky?"  
Exploud shrugged. "Vicky was at The Game with the rest of us, but after the explosion she disappeared..."  
Lilligant's words echoed in her head. _"It's possible that she is stuck on your world still, because of... unfinished business..."_  
Rita looked from Exploud, to Night, to everyone else. "Why are you all still stuck in the physical world?" she asked. "Lilligant said it was probably because of unfinished business... or certain upsessions you haven't gotten over."  
Exploud shrugged. "I have no idea."  
Rita glanced around again, before her gaze fell on Night. "Is... Rici here?"  
Night shook her head. "I haven't seen him."  
_Then he's either gone to Heaven or he's in the Spirit World... or..._  
"He could be alive!" The thought lifted her spirits.  
"But you're not," Haunter pointed out. "You're here with us. You're supposed to... Save us."  
How did her know that? Night must have told him.  
"I need to get out," Rita stated. "How can you get out of here?"  
"You CAN'T," Exploud said. "You died. You're STUCK here with the REST of us."  
"But I didn't really _die_," Rita persisted. "I was just sucked here. I didn't die." She cast a saddened look at Night. "I can't believe you're gone..."  
Night threw her a smile. "Am I really gone? I've been with you guys all along, you just can't see me."  
"Same with THE rest of US," Exploud told her. "We're STILL here, just INVISIBLE, LIKE A ninja."  
"But its not the same..." Rita frowned.  
"Well, you're here with us now, aren't you?" Howl asked. "Enjoy it. How nobody sees you."  
Rita looked around desperately. She had to get out. "There has to be _some _way out."  
"We don't know," Purrloin told her. "You don't think we've tried?" He flattened his ears. "If I could get out, I would. I'd _kill_ Rae. I can't believe I ever trusted him."  
"And Mightyena," Haunter pointed out.  
"And don't forget Ten," Howl growled.  
"They're on our side now," Rita hissed, defending them.  
Absol huffed. "That doesn't change the things they've done."  
"Wait, wait," Emerald started. "Ten's a good fella! I'm sure he didn't mean to! He must have been hypnotized!"  
"He commited a _murder_," Absol growled. "He should pay."  
As they fought, Rita sighed. She hadn't realized how haunted the whole place was. She wished she could talk to Victoria.  
"About Victoria..."  
Rita turned to Exploud.  
"I don't think she ever believed she was dead," he whispered. "When we showed ourselves to her, she just thought we came back to life." He shook his head. "That thing about unfinished business... Well, she's the one that snapped Smoke out of his hypnosis. That could have been her 'business'."  
Rita frowned. "I just wish I could have talked to her." Suddenly, she remembered Moon, and the elevator. "Have you spotted... Moon here?" She hoped the answer was no.  
Exploud shook his head. "She's not dead."  
Relief rippled through Rita. So Moon was fine. "That's good to hear... And that Rici might be alive, too..." She threw a glance at Night. "But you..."  
Night half-grinned. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you finally see me..."  
Rita felt like she was about to cry. "I wish you were alive." She glanced at Exploud. "You too. I hate to admit it... But I really miss your style of waking us up..."  
Exploud let out a laugh. "I still DO it, EVEN though you CAN'T hear me."  
"Yeah, and it's really annoying!" Rita heard Howl call.  
Rita grinned. "I still wish I could see you."  
"You SEE us now, ENJOY it."  
"Except, you need to get out of here," Night said.  
"I think... I can help with that."  
Rita turned around. _How did she get here?_  
"Don't ask questions," Lilac snapped. "Get going. I don't want to send Ten up to 23 alone."  
Rita's eyes widened. "What? Ten's on 23?! Why?!"  
"I told him to help you," she explained. "Now... how to get you out of here...?"  
"You mean you don't know?!" Night asked in an irritated tone. "Who are you?!"  
"WOW," Exploud exclaimed. "You look EXACTLY like RITA."  
Lilac rolled her eyes. "Its a long story..." She glanced at Rita. "I need to get you out of here. You can't stay here. You have a destiny to fulfill."  
Rita nodded. "Right. Now how do I get out?"

•  
Rae stared wildly at Vapor's slow rise and fall of her chest. She was still alive, even after being stabbed multiple times.  
_All this screaming will attract attention... _He looked at the bloody pool around Vapor, getting sucked into the void. He grabbed tighter on to the corner. _Gengar went a little over-board..._  
"Ack..." Vapor sounded in pain.  
Rae felt a sudden pity for the Vaporeon. She was simply defending her friend, and for that she was on the ground, slowly bleeding to death as the life got sucked out of her.  
Gengar kept his foot on her, kicking her with the other. "You're still alive, eh?"  
A hiss of pain rippled from Vapor with each kick.  
Rae threw a glance at Gengar. "Just kill her," he said. "We're wasting time."  
Gengar laughed. "No way. This is too fun!" He kicked Vapor again. "I haven't had this much fun in ages! Why do you want to ruin it?"  
Rae glanced from Jet to Dew. _Some team mate, you guys are. _He snatched the knife out of Gengar's hand.  
"Don't you touch her, Rae!" Persian called to him. "I'll kill you!"  
Rae shot a glance at him. _He's so stupid. Her death would be more painful if I don't hurt her. _  
Suddenly, Rae's head hurt. _What am I doing, pitying her? _He clutched the side of it with his knife hand. _Since when do I pity others? It's a sign of weakness... _He glared down at Vapor. _I'm ending her because... I hate her. Yes... that's it... _He brought his arm into the air, throwing it straight down.  
It pierced Vapor's neck, and soon her chest stopped rising.  
A silence filled the room.  
Rae looked at his hand. _I didn't do that out of pity... Right? I'm not weak._  
"VAPOR!" Persian cried, his eyes wild. He threw a glare at Rae. "I'll kill you!"  
Gengar glared at Rae also. "What's your problem? Its not like you to pity the weak."  
Rae turned his head to the side. "I did it because you're wasting time. Death doesn't need to take so long." He narrowed his eyes, looking at Gengar. "Take it from an expert. You don't seem very good at it."  
Gengar growled. "I just wanted a little fun." He snatched the knife out of Rae's hand, before tossing it behind him, causing it to get sucked into the void. He lifted his foot off of Vapor, her body getting sucked into the void also.  
Rae looked away from Gengar, feeling a bit sorry for defying him. He was only trying to help. "Sorry."  
Gengar ignored him. "Now who's next?!" he asked excitedly. He threw his hands in the air. "No volunteers, once again?" He threw his hands in the air. "I'll just pick at-"  
He was cut off as a flash of black launched itself at him, forcing him to the ground. The void subsided.  
Rae let go of the corner, feeling odd as the suction feeling went away. He glanced at Gengar, who had a Weavile on top of him. _W-What?_ His thoughts cut off as an hit him. He whipped around, facing Mightyena.  
Mightyena stared him straight in the eyes. "I was wrong to join you." As soon as he spoke those words, he slashed out at Rae.  
Rae easily dodged, his feet pressed up against the wall. "You really think you can take me on?" He pushed himself off the wall towards Mightyena, readying Mega Punch. "Don't make me laugh!" His fist landed on Mightyena's face as Mightyena flew down the hallway, slamming into the wall.  
Rae landed on his feet, deflecting a razor wind with his fist. He turned his head towards Jet. "Not yet, weasel," he told him simply. He looked up at Froslass, Latias, and Latios. "Don't just float there! Attack!" he commanded.  
Immediatly, the three Pokemon charged.  
Jet was taken over by Froslass, Dew and Smoke quickly appearing by his side to fight her.  
Klase ad Lightning cowered in the corner, unaware of what was going on while Plasma and Golbat fought Latios side by side.  
Wigglytuff, Dragonite, and Flower took on Latias. She easily dodged their attacks, throwing powerful ones of her own.  
Rae grinned. Someone would obviously hear them, but it seemed like they were winning.  
Suddenly, a flaming attack hit him in the back. He whipped around as Mightyena charged towards him with Incinirate.  
"You're forgetting someone!" he barked.  
Rae countered with iron tail, stopping Mightyena dead in his tracks.  
Mightyena bounced in the air, as multiples of himself appeared, each of them firing a Shadow Ball.  
_Tch.. I hate that move. _Rae gracefully dodged each one, deflecting most of them with his tail. "I can play that too!" he called to Mightyena. He used double team as well, clearly confusing the Mightyena clones.  
Rae grinned. "Now, which one is the real one?" He carefully looked over all the Mightyenas. Gengar had taught him before how to point out the real body in a double team.  
His gaze stopped at a Mightyena in the middle of the pack. He smirked, jumping in the air. "Pretty stupid of you to hide yourself in the middle!" He slammed down on him with iron tail as dust filled the air.  
The dust floated away, revealing nothing where Rae had used Iron Tail. _Huh?_  
A pain surged through him as a Shadow Ball attack hit him in the back. Rae flopped to the ground, quickly rolling forward to get up. He gracefully rose to his feet, whipping back around at Mightyena to use Mega Punch.  
Mightyena dodged to the side, slashing out at Rae once again.  
Rae frowned. "Pathetic attacks won't hit me." He grasped Mightyena's paw, stopping it, and twisting it to the side.  
Mightyena's eyes widened in pain. "AAAHH!" he cried as Rae twisted it further.  
Rae's eyes widened as he smirked. _This is great...! _He twisted further, until a snap pierced his ears.  
Mightyena let out a cry of pain, tears welling up in his eyes as Rae released his paw.  
"Oops... Did I do that?" Rae stared oddly at Mightyena's paw. Rae grinned wildly. "Sorry... About that." He grabbed Mightyena by the throat, using the points of his lightning-bolt-shaped tail to pin his body to the wall. "I really want to end this... So my apoligies if this hurts." Rae powered up a hyper beam between his hands, aiming it at Mightyena's head.  
Mightyena stared wide-eyed in terror at Rae before his hyper beam met with his face.  
Rae drew his tail away as dust filled the air again.  
Mightyena slipped to the ground, unconscience.  
_He is a fool. _Rae directed his gaze to Gengar, who was still fighting Ten.  
It appeared that Gengar was losing.  
_Ten really is strong..._  
Rae shook his head. _I have to help out Gengar..._

•  
Rita felt a chill go down her spine. She still wasn't used to the whole 'Ghost World' thing.  
Lilac stood pacing in front of her. "Geez... I hope Ten's okay... He needs to be okay..."  
"WHY don't you go CHECK on him then?" Exploud suggested. "In case you don't KNOW, we can still MOVE objects, like PRESSING elevator buttons."  
Lilac's ears perked up. "Really? I didn't know that."  
Night rolled her eyes. "C'mon." She chuckled. "Sometimes, if someone's in the elevator they get freaked out."  
Rita frowned. She didn't exactly want to 'freak out' the other teams. Heaving a sigh, she followed Night, Exploud, and Lilac into the elevator anyway, while everyone else fought about Rae, Mightyena, and Ten.  
They entered the gold elevator.  
_So Rae was lying about the elevators not working... _She let out a growl. _He's just full of lies..._  
Rita watched as Night searched for the '23' button. She opened her eyes in surprise as she quickly located it.  
_How does she know where it is? _  
Exploud frowned. "I can't believe you two actually disobeyed the rules and went here before," he grumbled. He cast a glance at Rita. "Especially _you_, on YOUR FIRST day." He shook his head. "Pidgeot would be ashamed."  
Rita grinned slightly. "Rules are meant to be broken."  
Lilac tilted her head. "No loudspeaker?"  
"We're not as ADVANCED as Garnet IS," Exploud told her. "Don't COMPLAIN. We are FAR more FAMOUS than The GAME is."  
Lilac flattened her ears. "You don't have to be so loud."  
"You don't HAVE to be so irratable," Exploud shot back.  
"Stop fighting," Night cut in. "We're going to see whats going on, not that we can do anything..." She pressed the '23' button.  
Immediatly, the elevator shot up at an intense speed. Rita felt herself fighting to stay standing.  
_I remember when I did this with Plasma, Moon, and Smoke. _  
She grinned slightly. _I miss those days, even if they were only about a month or so ago... _She stared straight ahead as the elevators opened. _A lot has happened since then..._  
Rita heard everyone gasp at what they saw.  
Everyone was fighting someone, except Mightyena and Vapor.  
Rita glanced around for Mightyena, hoping he was alright. Her eyes widened as she spotted him on the ground, his paw twisted awkwardly. She felt like she was going to throw up, as she looked away.  
"Ten!" Lilac cried.  
Rita immediatly looked back, spotting Rae and Gengar fighting Ten.  
Rae came down on Ten with iron tail, which Ten dodged with incredible speed. Unfortunately, Gengar was waiting for him, as he came at Ten with Shadow Claw.  
Ten was slammed against the wall, a drop of blood starting from the corner of his mouth.  
Not being able to look anymore, Rita's gaze shifted to Jet, Dew, and Smoke's battle against Froslass.  
They weren't winning.  
Jet was slammed against the creaking floor, Froslass's shadow ball hitting him in the stomach.

•  
By the time Jet was finished with his deluxe burrito, he had already reached OVER 9000! Arcane Power. He grinned as Dew walked in.  
Dew stared at him, suddenly stealing his burrito. He used his mermaid spells to make Jet want to fish in the ocean.  
Jet grinned. "Your spell has no effect. You need more Arcane Power."

Oops, wrong story...

•  
Rita let out a cry of distress. Without realizing it, she attempted to throw a blizzard at Froslass.  
Her eyes widened in shock when it didn't work.  
Night frowned. "You can't use attacks in the Ghost World..."  
Rita frowned. "Then how are we supposed to help?! Jet's getting beaten..." She wanted desperately to help him, but she couldn't.  
"We can't," Night grumbled.  
"Then what was the point of coming up here?!" Lilac asked. "Ten's in trouble!"  
Exploud's gaze drifted to Ten. "Actually, it LOOKS like he's doing PRETTY good."  
Rita looked back towards Ten, Rae, and Gengar. Ten was easily dodging attacks, only occasionally getting scraped.  
_He really _is_ strong... I'm surprised he didn't kill me in our last battle... _She glanced at her feet. _Not that it matters now, anymore..._  
Suddenly, Gengar stopped attacking Ten. A chill ran down Rita's spine as Gengar's icy stare met her's.  
"Other spirits are present," he growled, still staring at Rita. "Get out! We're busy!"  
"He can see us?" Night asked.  
Rae glanced at Gengar. "Who is it?"  
Gengar smirked. "No one important."  
_What?! Say my name! I want Jet to know I'm here!_  
"Can they interfere?" Rae asked, blocking an attack from Ten.  
Gengar shook his head. "No. It doesn't matter." He used shot a glare at Ten. "You're getting very annoying."  
Rita paws itched. She couldn't help! She was standing there, useless. Her gaze drifted across the room, back to Mightyena. He was on the floor, clutching his twisted paw. Rita noticed that she couldn't spot Vapor.  
_Where's Vapor?! Where'd she go?!_  
"How can we GET Rita OUT?" Exploud roared to Lilac. "Get her back IN the PHYSICAL world!"  
Lilac frowned. "I don't know...  
Rita felt like tearing her ears off her head. She _had _to get out.  
Suddenly, the elevator doors swung open.  
Rita turned around as three Pokemon whooshed through her.  
Exploud's face brightened up. "M' La-" He cut himself off, realizing that she couldn't hear him.  
Plasma's expression brightened as she spotted Moon beside Lady Pidgeot. "You're okay!" She abondoned her battle and threw her arms around Moon.  
Crobat stared after her, a sad longing in his gaze.  
The third Pokemon was Lilly.  
Rita stared at her guardian. How did she get into that body?  
Lilly turned her head around, meeting Rita's gaze for a split second before averting her eyes.  
_Can she... see me?_  
"What's going on here?!" Lady Pidgeot boomed. Her gaze shifted from Froslass, to Latias, to Latios, then finally Rae.  
Rita noticed that Gengar was missing.  
Rae's expression showed panic, before quickly being washed away by a grin. "We're just... practicing our battle skills," he said cooly.  
"Thats a lie!" Ten hissed. "They're attacking us! Rae's _evil_!"  
Lady Pidgeot stared surprisingly at Rae. "...What?"  
"We're practicing our battle skills," Rae repeated, in a voice that didn't sound like his own. It was almost hypnotic. "Thats all."  
"Lady Pidgeot, don't fall for it!" Lilly pleaded. "He's trying to fool you! Rae and Gengar are _bad_!"  
Lady Pidgeot shook her head. "How do you explain _this_?" she asked. "Why are you even on this floor? If Moon hadn't warned me-"  
"There's nothing here," Gengar's voice said, coming from Rae. Rae's eyes turned a dark red color. "Go back downstairs. I'll take care of things."  
Lady Pidgeot seemed dazed. "O...Of course... I can always..." She placed her wing against her forehead. "...Trust Rae..." With that she turned around, not another word coming from her mouth.  
Gengar materialized as soon as Lady Pidgeot left. He turned to Ten. "We'll settle this later. I have business to take care of." He glanced back at Rae. "Our plan failed again..." he muttered. "Be more careful next time." He shrugged. "At least we got Rita, and that annoying Vaporeon."  
Smoke growled. "Do you really think we'll let you go without a fight?"  
Rae grinned. "I believe you're all worn out. Go get some Arcane Power, then fight me."  
Rita wondered what Arcane Power was. Maybe Smoke's spell had no effect, so he needed more of it.  
"We can still fight!" Smoke hissed, taking a step forward.  
"If you take one more step..." Rae warned. "I'll blow this floor to bits."  
Gengar gaped at him. "You have a bomb on this floor, and you didn't even use it?!"  
"_We're_ on this floor, idiot!" Rae told him. He frowned, a worried expression passing over his gaze. "You_ really _seem out of sorts lately."  
Gengar shook his head. "Whatever." He shot a glare at Smoke. "I suggest you all calmly go back to your rooms, unless death is your wish."  
Jet shot a glare at Gengar. "Not without Rita."  
"_And_ Vapor," Dew added, crossing his arms.  
Gengar laughed. "Really. You didn't see me kill them?" He shook his head, tsking. "You need your eyes checked." He frowned. "Now get out."  
"Or I _will _press it," Rae growled.  
Rita felt like crying as everyone left the room. Vapor was dead? What?! The calm, motherly Vaporeon that comforted her when Vicky died, the Vaporeon that could make any room light up just by being in it, her friend... Was gone?

•  
Rae stood on Crystal Beach, the waves of the ocean lapping against his feet. Cold chills rushed through him at each splash. The ocean seemed colder than usual.  
Suddenly, a sharp pain rushed through his back as he felt something stab through it.  
"Bakame!" Gengar spat, taking the knife out of Rae's back. "What would you have done if they had refused to get off the floor?"  
Rae couldn't reach the spot on his back. "What was that for?!" He winced in pain.  
"For being an _idiot_!" Gengar yelled at him, stabbing his side.  
Rae clutched his side, the pain rippling through his body. "Its not my fault you wanted the plan to go _that _way," he rasped.  
Gengar scowled. "Don't make threats you can't keep!" he snapped. His face turned back into a normal frown. "And anyway, we have to get out of here quickly."  
Before Rae could answer him, a familiar voice interrupted him.  
"Why? Aren't you part of the Rescue Camp? Why ya gotta leave?"  
Rae and Gengar both turned around.  
In front of them were two young Pokemon; a Vulpix and a Sneasel.  
The Sneasel frowned. "Veronica, they might be bad Pokemon." He clutched on to her, shaking. "Don't let them hurt me!"  
Veronica, the Vulpix, giggled. "They won't hurt you." She stared up into Rae's eyes. "You look really, _really_ familiar."  
Rae stared down at her, his voice caught in his throat. _This... Looks exactly like..._  
Gengar scowled. "What are you still doing here?"  
_Vicky... _  
Rae felt his heart skip a beat. She was alive? How did she come back? The thought brought an unknown feeling into his mind.  
Rae clutched his head. _What was... _that_? _He stared down at the Vulpix, who had a confused expression on her face.  
"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head. "I don't even know you. And I'm here to join the Rescue Camp~!" She let out a giggle. "This is my partner, Sven. He's a little shy."  
Sven nodded. "H-How do you do?" He clutched Veronica tighter.  
Rae felt a strange feeling stir up in his chest as he watched Sven clutch Veronica... or Vicky.  
Veronica smiled. "I'm Veronica."  
Gengar was quiet before speaking. "Ahh... I see..." He glanced at Rae. "She was reincarnated," he whispered. "We should kill her while we can."  
"What was that?" Sven squeaked.  
Gengar glared at him. "Nothing." He shot another glance at Rae.  
Rae shook his head. If this _was _Victoria, he couldn't help but not want her dead. "It might not be her," he hushed back.  
_Geez... I'm just as weak as the others... _He scowled to himself.  
Veronica tilted her head. "Why are you all bloody?" she asked Rae.  
Rae looked down at the blood pooling around his feet. He remembered that Gengar stabbed him, and that immediatly brought the pain back. "Uh... Its paint."  
Veronica grinned. "Okay then..." She tilted her head. "Uh... We're gonna go in now!" she announced, puffing out her chest. "If you _do _go to the Rescue Camp, I'll see you in there!" She flashed Rae a smile, before tugging on Sven. "C'mon, I know its late, but we need somewhere to stay anyways!" She dashed off, Sven trailing her.  
Rae stared after her. _Vicky was... reincarnated?_  
He suddenly felt Gengar slap him upside the head.  
"What are you doing?!" Gengar hissed.  
Rae shot him a glare. "Trying to keep us from being figured out!"  
Gengar sighed. "Whatever. We have to get going."  
Rae tilted his head. "Why?"  
"Because I need to find where Arceus is, and I obviously can't leave you alone," he growled.  
Rae rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. Honestly, you're starting to sound like my-" He cut himself off, not wanting to remember.  
"Your mother?" Gengar finished. "Someone has to, obviously." His knife re-materialized in his hand. "Someone has to punish you."  
Rae looked back in the direction Veronica had gone. "I can stay here. Pidgeot is under control, right? She forgets everything?"  
Gengar nodded. "Yes. But the others will still try to convince her, probably. And when she asks about that Vaporeon... Make sure you're not around."  
Rae nodded. "Got it. I'll be fine. I'm not stupid."  
Gengar glanced in the direction Sven and Veronica had gone, before glancing back at Rae. "I'm having second thoughts." He disappeared.  
Rae clutched his side, which suddenly hurt like Hell. _I'll have to get a bandage... And then we'll try something else... _Blood seeped through his fingers. _Rita's gone... so things should be easier..._

•  
Jet sunk into his cotton bed, wanting to hide his tear-streaked face from Dew. He knew Dew was crying as well, but he had a better way of hiding it.  
_Vapor...Rita..._  
Why? Why did Gengar have to exist? Why did Rae have to exist? Why did they have to die?  
"Now I have nobody to double date..." Dew huffed.  
"A new team!"  
"Wow, she looks just like _her_!"  
"Its so late? Where'd they come from?"  
Commotion that could be heard all the way to Floor 18 got Jet's attention. "What?"  
"They're so loud," Dew complained.  
"Lets go check it out." Jet shrugged. "It might take our mind off things."

Jet glanced around for Rita when the arrived on Floor 2, but then remembered that she was gone. It brought tears to his eyes, but he knew he couldn't cry in front of a new team. He tried to see over the crowd of Pokemon, but failed.  
Dew was standing on his toes, trying to see as well. "I can't see!" he complained. "Some fat freak is in the way." He looked back at Jet. "Give me a boost!"  
Jet narrowed his eyes. "What? No! You probably weigh more than a Snorlax!"  
Dew huffed. "You say hurtful things." Without permission, he hopped on to Jet's shoulders.  
Jet felt like his weight would crush him. "Get off! I'm going to die!"  
"Just a second!" Dew squinted his eyes, looking for the team. Jet saw his eyes widened. "Wow..."  
_What could he see?!_  
"What?" Jet asked. "What do you see?"  
"Lily looks _soooo _hot today!" Dew cooed.  
Jet sighed, irritated. He slapped Dew's leg. "What does the team look like?"  
Dew squinted again. "Uh... There's a Sneasel..." He tilted his head. "And a Vulpix..." He let out an astonished gasp. "Victoria! The Vulpix is Victoria!"  
"What...?" That was impossible.  
_Vicky's dead..._  
"You're probably mistaken," Jet told him. "Vicky's dead."  
"No way. I'm certain. Lady P looks like she thinks so, too." Dew stared ahead. "It has to be Victoria. It looks just like her."  
Jet shook his head. "It can't be..." Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of orange. His gaze followed it, eventually landing on Rae, who was in the corner of the room.  
_He dares to show his face here?! _Jet let out a growl, before noticing that Rae was struggling to wrap something around his side. Jet saw red seep through it. _What happened to him? Whatever it is, he deserves it. I'm going to murder him._  
Suddenly, a chill ran through him as he felt a presence next to him. The scent seemed familiar.  
Jet let out a sigh. _Now I'm smelling her... _He felt like his heart was ripped in two. _What are we going to do without Rita? She's the main one in our group... I wonder how Smoke feels... _His eyes drifted ahead. _Is that really Vicky? Is she here to replace Rita? _He felt his eyes tear up. _Nobody could ever replace Rita... Nobody..._  
"Settle down!" Lady Pidgeot's voice sounded.  
Jet's eyes flickered. Something seemed off about her voice. _And what was up with walking out when we were getting killed? What happened there?_  
"Where's your _girlfriend, _Jetty?" Sweetie's voice sounded.  
Jet rolled his eyes, turning around, Dew still on his shoulders. "What do you want?" he asked scornfully.  
"Don't talk to trash, Jetty!" Dew gasped. He shot a glare at Sweetie. "Only _I _can call him that."  
Sweetie ignored him. "Listen, Jetty, I'm really sorry..." She sighed. "I wasn't in control of my actions, and I forgive you for trying to murder me."  
Dew's ears flicked, looking down at Jet. "Why didn't you go through with it?"  
"Shut it, otter," Sweetie snapped. Her gaze shifted back to Jet. "So where _is_ your little girlfriend? I wanted to thank her again, but we're... Still rivals." Her gaze met Jet's. "I still really, really like you Jetty. Can you give me another chance?" Her eyes looked pleading.  
"No," Jet snapped. "You tried to kill Rita..." His eyes saddened. "Not that it matters now," he whispered quietly.  
Sweetie's eyes brightened. "What does that mean?" she asked excitedly.  
"Get out of here, you stupid rodent," Dew growled. "You're blocking my view."  
"Is your cat friend dead?" Sweetie asked.  
No one answered.  
"She is, isn't she?!" Sweetie asked, her eyes widening. She then proceeded to cling to Jet's arm, throwing Dew off his shoulders. "Its okay, honey! I'm here for you!" she cooed.  
Jet pulled his arm free. "Stop clinging to me like that."  
Sweetie frowned. "Jetty, I'm sorry. Can we still be friends? Please?"  
"Go back to your rooms!" Lady Pidgeot cut in. "I'll speak to the new team _alone_."  
Irritated sighs sounded from the crowd as everyone split up. Jet couldn't spot anybody else he was friends with.  
He shot a look at Sweetie. "I'll think about it. Now don't even think about following us when we go to our rooms." He and Dew started towards the elevator.  
"Where's that Vaporeon?" Sweetie called to them, only to be ignored.  
Jet frowned as he pressed the 'Floor 18' button.  
_Rita..._

•  
Plasma's spell had no effect. She needed more Arcane Power.  
She sighed, happy that Moon was okay, but depressed about Rita. She stood outside, leaning against the fence surrounding the Rescue Camp. It was late. Plasma had checked the time before she headed out. One thirty three A.M.  
The moon shone in the sky, reflecting on the waters of Crystal Beach. It looked like a million shiny crystals glittering in the water.  
_Since Rita's all gone and stuff... Is the world doomed? That makes... _She counted on her fingers. _Three humans gone, counting Rici and Vicky... _She stared up at the moon. It mocked her.  
Plasma frowned at it. "Maybe the world really _is _doomed, after all," she thought aloud.  
"Why so negative?"  
Plasma scowled at the familiar voice of Crobat. "We've lost Vicky, Rici, _and _Rita," she said. "How do you think we have any chance of winning?"  
Crobat shrugged. "We still have Shade and Persian and Jet."  
"That's not enough," Plasma sighed. She shot a glare at Crobat. "All offense intended, why are you talking to me?"  
Crobat looked to the side. "I-I was outside myself..." he stuttered. "I didn't l-look for you in your room and notice you weren't there and then went looking for you or anything like that..."  
Plasma narrowed her eyes. "You're weird. How does Mightyena deal with you?"  
"You're annoying!" Crobat shot back. "How does Moon deal with you?"  
Plasma crossed her arms. He really needed to go jump off a building or something. "Stop talking to me, then!" she snapped. "Don't hang around me."  
"But I like being around you!" Crobat yelled at her. He then flung his wings over his mouth, his eyes widening at what he just said. He turned his head to the side. "Forget I just said that," he muttered through his wings. "I-I'm going back to my room!" He flew off, not giving Plasma a change to comprehend what he had said.  
_...What? _Plasma shook her head. _He's so weird. What's his problem? _She stared back at the ocean, a sudden movement catching her eye. She narrowed her eyes. _Whats that...? _She shook her head again. _Must be nothing._

•  
Rae gritted his teeth as he pressed the cloth to his gash. The water soaked on the cloth was cold, but it would feel worse tomorrow if he didn't do it.  
_Why would Gengar stab me, knowing it would hurt him too? _He removed the cloth, putting it under the water fosit[?] again. The sound of running water was the only sound in the kitchen. _Did it even hurt him?_  
He squeezed his eyes shut as he pressed the cloth against his skin again.  
_What's up with him lately, anyway? He seems different... _He placed the cloth back in the sink. _Should I check in with him? ...No. He'd be mad._  
Rae exited the kitchen, his footsteps echoing against the tile.  
Three figures appearing in front of him made him jump.  
"Oh..." He felt relieved it wasn't Jet or someone. He was in no mood to fight. "What do you need?"  
"Rici," Latios started, his eyes unmoving. "I think he's alive."  
Rae sighed. "How many times have I told you that he couldn't have survived that explosion? Now..." He started towards the elvator. "Unless it's something important, don't talk to me."  
"Can Rita get out of the Ghost World?" Latias asked. "She'll hurt us!"  
Rae stopped, still facing the elevator. Could she get out?  
_...No. There's no way. _  
Rae shook his head. "No. Stop bothering me. And stop flooding me with questions."  
"Aren't you worried about Veronica?" Froslass finally asked. "She's the reincarnation of Vicky, right? Isn't that what you told us?"  
"Should we kill her while we can?" Garnet asked.  
Rae frowned. He didn't want Vicky to die again. Something inside him wanted her to stay.  
_Tch... Why do I keep thinking that? _He stared at the ground. _Still..._  
"If anyone's killing Victoria, it'll be me." He turned around to face the three. "So don't _any _of you touch her," he growled, "Or I'll skin you alive."  
Latias, Latios, and Froslass exchanged an uneasy glance.  
There was a silence.  
"What do we do if Rici comes back?" Latios asked.  
Latias nodded. "And if Rita finds her way out."  
"Or if Veronica finds out who she really is," Froslass added.  
"I can handle it." Rae turned back to the elevator. "Go get some sleep, and don't let Pidgeot catch you."  
The silence that followed signaled that they had left.

Rae stared at his old room. _Hasn't changed a bit... _He flopped down on the cotton bed, exhausted.  
_I hope Gengar finds his way alright._  
Rae's foot twitched. _Or else... I'll have nothing! _He gave a slight laugh, pressing his face into his pillow. _I hope Arceus is hypnotized soon! Things will finally start to get interesting!_  
Rain pattered against his window, followed by a crack of thunder.  
He rolled over on his side. There was no more Rita to stop him.  
In a way, his plan succeeded.

•

•

•

•


	27. 26: Traitors and Enemies, Trust No One

Veronica's eyes fluttered open. She just couldn't sleep. She slowly crawled off the cotton bed, careful not to wake Sven.

Excitement rippled through her paws as she touched the carpet floor. She glanced excitedly around her room. A single window stood on the wall, letting in the dim morning light. Rain splattered against it, each raindrop dripping down it like they were racing eachother.

Lady Pidgeot had given her and Sven a room on Floor 10. It looked really, really familiar.

A photo of the Pledge hung by the door. Veronica had looked at it over and over the night before, memorizing it.

The thing that was most exciting, though, was their amazing team name.

_Team Lucky... Team Lucky... _Veronica repeated the name over and over in her head. It was so amazing.

Although, Lady Pidgeot had seemed a bit odd when she gave them the name. She had an odd look in her eyes, and she kept shooting glances at Veronica. Veronica had shrugged it off, thinking it was just because she was so good-looking, even girls loved her.

Her paws itched to explore, but she couldn't leave Sven on the floor alone.

_I'll just explore the floor. Not that there's much to see... _Veronica shrugged. _Oh well! At least its something to do! _She scampered out of the room, excitement crashing through her like a wave.

Floor 10 just looked so familiar. She wandered down the hallway, wondering if the other team on the floor was awake.

She arrived at the end of the hallway, peering inside Team Biscuit's room.

Veronica had laughed when Skittles, another member of a Rescue Team, had told her Team Biscuit's team name.

Flake and Beedrill were both quietly asleep. Veronica spotted Lilly twisting and turning.

_Must be having a nightmare..._

Veronica tried to remember if she ever had a nightmare, but she couldn't remember anything at all. She couldn't remember having a mother, or a father, or anything. It was just blank.

"Rita..."

Veronica's ears perked up at the name. Her eyes stayed on Lilly, who had muttered the name.

_That name sounds really familiar... _Veronica shrugged. _Meh. Whatever. _She turned around, heading back down the hallway. _Poptarts... Yum..._

She wandered on to the balcony, looking down at the ground. It was really far away. _I wish we had a floor higher up. _she thought to herself. She continued to look down, spotting the other floor's balcony's'. Her head straightened to look ahead at the ocean.

_Crystal Beach__... It's such a pretty name! _She giggled slightly to herself. _I wanna go to a higher floor..._

She started off the balcony, casting a glance towards her room. _It'll only be for a few minutes..._

The golden elevator opened up, revealing a small, pretty space.

_I hope the floors aren't too occupied, since the Game members are staying here and everything... _She stared oddly at the buttons. _Aww. It only goes to Floor 22. _She shrugged. _Oh well~! _She jabbed it happily, enjoying the feeling of her stomach floating as she felt the elevator rise. _Weeee! Arcane Power!_

The doors opened, and she stepped out, casting a glance around.

_It looks identical to Floor 10... _She started towards the balcony. _But I bet the view is different! _She looked out at the sea. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" she exclaimed.

"Victoria...?"

A somewhat-familiar voice sounded behind her. She turned around to see a Quilava. His eyes were red, and it looked like he had been crying. He had dark circles under his eyes, showing that he hadn't gotten any sleep.

Veronica shook her head. "No, Veronica, Vonny for short. I've been getting that 'Victoria' thing a lot lately..." She tilted her head, her eyes flashing pity. "Are you... okay?"

The Quilava continued to stare at her. "You... Look exactly like Vicky..." He clutched his head. "I... Must be seeing things... Vicky's dead..."

Veronica's eyes widened. This Vicky chick was dead? Is that why some Pokemon were gaping at her like she was a ghost? A creepy feeling washed over her. "Who is Vicky?" she asked. "I'm not her... I'm Veronica. My partner's name is Sven." She smiled. "We're Team Lucky!"

The Quilava's eyes seemed to show terror. "Lady Pidgeot_ really _did that?" His eyes saddened. "I can't believe her." His gaze shifted towards the balcony's view. "Vicky was a Rescue Team member. She killed herself by jumping out a window in The Game's building."

Veronica's eyes widened.

"Her dead body was then burnt to a crisp in a fire, that no one knows the cause of. Her team mate, Flower, was devastated..." The Quilava's eyes stayed in the same place. "She had another team mate, Chance, who died protecting her. Vicky had a lot of friends here..." His eyes teared up. "I was one of them... and so was Rita..."

_That name again. Who's Rita?_

"Her Rescue Team was called Team Luck," the Quilava finished.

The creepy feeling came back. _That's so similiar to mine...! _Her gaze shifted towards the Quilava. "Who's Rita?"

The Quilava's eyes clouded with saddness. "Rita was my partner. She's gone now..." Tears started to stream down his cheeks. "Rita... is gone... Because of Rae..."

Veronica felt pity for the Quilava. His partner was dead... _If Sven ever died, I'd be devastated. _"Team Luck... You said that there was another member... Flower, right?"

The Quilava nodded, wiping his tears away with hundred dollar bills.

"Is this 'Flower' character still here?" Veronica asked. "What does he look like?"

"Flower's still here, yeah," the Quilava told her. "And _she's_ a Munna. Cute little Pokemon, small, easy to recognize, really quiet." His gaze shifted back to Veronica. "She's joined Team Attract, though, because you can't have a Rescue Team by yourself..." He looked to the ground. "Now that Rita's gone... I'll have to quit or join another team..." He lifted his head up. "Flower will be so happy to see you. She's missed Vicky."

Veronica frowned. "But... I'm not Vicky..."

_I sure hope Flower doesn't see me... _She tilted her head. _Her name sounds really familiar, though..._

"I wish you were..." the Quilava sighed. "You look like her, sound like her..." He stared at her. "You... Could be her..."

Veronica shook her head. "Vicky's dead. How can I be her if I'm alive?"

The Quilava shrugged. "I guess... you're right..." His gaze met her's again. "Be careful then, though," he warned. "Some Pokemon might come after you."

Veronica tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to explain it all because you wouldn't believe me," he started, "But Victoria, along with Rita, Jet, Rici, and the rest of us have a couple enemies. Rae, Latias, Latios, Froslass..." He drifted off.

"Who's Rae? And Jet and Rici and Latios and Latias and Froslass?" Veronica asked. Questions buzzed through her mind.

The Quilava shook his head. "You'll find out later. But make sure to watch Rae at all times. He's the really big Raichu. Its hard to miss him. He's evil..."

Was it the Raichu she met at the entrance? "I think I've met him!" Veronica said with a smile. "He was with a Gengar. The Gengar said they had to go somewhere." She grinned again. "Rae was covered in red paint... he looked kinda funny." She giggled.

The Quilava's eyes sparked. "That wasn't paint," he stated. "Did they say where they were going?"

Veronica shook her head. "No. I didn't think anything of it." She tilted her head. "Rae's not evil, is he?"

"He is."

Veronica frowned. She didn't believe it. Maybe he was just crazy, since he lost his partner and all. _I'll just play along. _"Sure, okay." She cast him a smile. "I should be heading down to my floor soon," she started, "I'm only here so I could get a view of the ocean at a higher height. I'm on Floor 10."

The Quilava's eyes saddened again. "That was Team Luck's floor."

Another creepy feeling crept over her, but she ignored it, starting towards the elevator. She pressed the 'Down' button, getting in the elevator as the doors opened. She turned around to face the Quilava. "By the way, what's your name?" she asked with interest.

The Quilava stared at her as she entered the elevator. "Smoke."

A wave of familiarity hit her as the elevator doors closed, blocking the view of Smoke.

_Smoke? Why does that seem familiar, too?!_

•

Sven was frantic as Veronica entered the room.

"Vonny!" he cried as he spotted her. He catapulted into her, squeezing her in a hug. "I thought you left me! Why did you leave? I thought you were gone forever!"

Veronica grinned. "Its okay. I was on the 22nd floor. I wanted to get a view of the ocean from there."

"You could have fallen!" Sven gasped. "Wow, Vonny, you're so brave!"

Veronica gave a laugh. "While I was up there I met another Pokemon who thought I was Victoria..." She looked out towards the hallway. "He was a Quilava. His name was Smoke."

Sven's eyes flashed with jealousy. "You two were on the balcony together?"

"I was on the balcony, he was in the hallway." She stared at Sven. "It turns out, this Victoria chick is dead."

Sven gasped. "How'd she die?"

"She jumped out a window," Veronica answered matter-of-factly.

"Thats so creepy!" Sven exclaimed.

Veronica nodded. "And this was their floor. Guess what their team name was?"

Sven shuddered. "What?"

"Team Luck."

"Eeeeewwwwww that's even creepier!" He frowned. "Geez... I hope her spirit doesn't haunt us or anything."

Veronica grinned. "You know I don't believe in ghosts."

"Time to wake-" a voice cut itself off.

Veronica and Sven turned around to see a Mightyena.

"...Up," he finished. He clutched his head with his paw. "Arceus... Talk about dayshavoo..." He grinned. "It makes my job a _lot _easier, though, since you're up. Thanks." He stared at them. "Time to start the pledge. Get downstairs." The emotion in his voice suddenly changed.

Veronica nodded, saluting him. "Yes sir!"

Sven nodded as well. "Y-Yes..."

Veronica rushed towards the elevator, blocking out all the creepy feelings buzzing through her mind. It was her first day as a rescue team! She needed to enjoy it!

•

•

"I'm right here!" Rita cried. "Please stop crying, Smoke!" Rita frowned. "Please..."

"It's no use," Emerald sighed, appearing next to her. "You don't think I haven't tried with Ruby? I've watched her cry every night now... Its torture..."

Rita stared at her partner. The whole night he and everyone else had been crying. She had jumped from room to room, trying to get to everyone.  
"They _can't _see you, Rita," Night kept telling her. "They can't hear you, either..."  
Emerald stared at Rita. "I know its tough, but I guess. Eventually... You'll get used to it..." She looked at the ground, sighing.  
Rita shook her head. "No. I _have _to get out! I have a duty to save the world!"  
Lilac stepped in the room, grinning. "Yes... You do..." She walked up to Rita, her grin still on her face. "I think I know of a way to get out, but it's going to-"  
A voice cut her off.  
"Where am I?"  
Rita recognized the voice right away. She darted into the hallway. "Vapor!" she cried, catapulting herself into Vapor. "I didn't think I'd see you ever again!"  
Vapor blinked, before gasping. Her eyes widened. "Rita?! You're alive!"  
Rita's happiness died down. "No... We're dead." The words stung her more to say them than hear them.  
The Vaporeon's eyes showed shock. "So... Gengar really _did_ kill me?"  
Night padded into the hallway. "I'm afraid so."  
Vapor stared at the Liepard in shock. "N-Night?! You're dead?!"  
Night half-grinned. "Yeah... Are you sad about that? You hate us. Our team."  
Vapor shook her head violently. "Of course I'm sad!" She glanced around anxiously. "Who else is here?"  
"I am!" Emerald's high-pitched voice said as she flew in the room. She stared at Vapor. "Welcome, newcomer!"  
Night looked behind her. "Exploud is too..." She flicked her tail, squinting. "I wonder where he's gone off to."  
"And Team Shadow Cloud," Rita cut in, sighing. "So many Pokemon are here..."  
"Uh, excuse me!" Lilac sounded. "I was in the middle of talking!"  
Everyone's heads' turned towards her.  
Vapor seemed shocked. "Huh... Fut the wuk? Another Rita...?" She shook her head, a grin appearing on her face. "No. You must be Lilac." She held out her paw. "Pleasure to meet you."  
Lilac took her paw, smiling. "Thanks." She turned back to Rita. "Now, I have a way to get you back... But after I give you the following information, its your decision weither you want to continue on your 'Save the World' mission."  
Rita nodded vigoursly. "Of course! Its my duty!"  
Lilac frowned. "Yeah..." A saddness clouded her eyes. "Last night I paid a visit to the Spirit World. It turns out Lilligant really _is _Lilly-"  
"Wait," Rita cut in. "Why would I not want to save the world because of that? Its great news!"  
"Stop interrupting!" Lilac snapped, her eyes still reflecting sadness. "Anyway," she continued, "I appeared in Lilly's dream, and I was able to get some information out of her."  
Night pricked her ears. "What kind of information?"  
Lilac glanced at her. "Important information regarding Rita's duty, along with Jet, Mightyena, Persian, and Rici." She stared at Rita. "Rita, your duty is to save the world. You were put simply on Earth for that and that only."  
Rita tilted her head. "Yeah, so?"  
Lilac's sadness was crystal clear. "What do you do with an object when its done serving its purpose?"  
Rita squinted in confusion. _What does this have to do with anything? _"Uh... You throw it away." She glanced upwards in a thinking motion. "Of course, depending on what it is you might recycle-"  
"Thats right," Lilac cut her off, frowning. "You throw it away."  
"WHAT are you GETTING at?" Exploud's voice boomed. He stood by Lilac now.  
Lilac shot a glare at him. "Hush." She looked back at Rita. "Rita... when you are done serving your purpose... What do you suppose will happen to you?"  
Rita shrugged. _I've never really thought about that... _"I'm not sure. Maybe I would go back to the human world, maybe I would stay here..." She stared at Lilac. "Actually, I thought it'd be cool to adopt-"  
"You aren't sure, are you?" Lilac asked. She looked at the ground. "Rita. When you are done saving the world..."  
Rita tilted her head.  
"You are going to disappear," Lilac whispered.  
Rita couldn't comprehend what she had just said. She needed more Arcane Power. "W-What?!"  
"WHAT?!" Vapor cried from next to her. "She's going to _disappear_?!"  
This time Rita heard it. "I'm going... to disappear?" She shook her head. "When Smoke hears this... And Jet..."  
Lilac frowned. "I know... Smoke probably won't like it at all... But Jet..." She took a breath. "Jet's going to disappear too. As well as all your other human friends, and Pokemon from the Human World."  
Rita felt tears well up in her eyes. "...All of them?"  
Lilac turned away, nodding.  
"ISNT there a way TO PREVENT it?" Exploud asked, a fear-stricken look on his face.  
Lilac shook her head. "No." She looked back at Rita. "Do you still want to continue on your mission?"  
Everyone's heads' turned towards her.  
_This can't be happening... Its not fair... But... _She frowned. _If I don't, the whole world will be destroyed..._  
"Its what I signed up for, wasn't it?" she asked, forcing a grin.  
Nobody laughed.  
Lilac put on a fake smile. "Okay."  
Vapor stared at Rita. "You can't."  
"I have to."  
Vapor frowned. "But-"  
"She's right," Night cut in. She shot a pained look at Rita. "There's no other way."  
Tears welled up in Vapor's eyes.  
Rita didn't want to see her cry. "Hey," she said, casting a smile at Vapor. "Its fine. Don't you want the world to be saved...?"  
Vapor grinned. "Of course... But you're a great friend, and Jet really likes you, and Persian will go too..."  
Of course. She loved Persian.  
"It'll be fine..." she said. "And... Please don't cry. You're like an older sister to me. Its weird to see someone you look up to cry..."  
Vapor huffed. "Who said anything about crying?"  
Rita smiled. "Good." She frowned as she turned back to Lilac. "How do I get out?"  
Lilac grinned slightly. "There's actually an invisible portal to the physical world. I just found out about it..."  
Rita heard Emerald gasp. "Could we go too?!"  
Lilac sadly shook her head. "Your bodies are already destroyed. You are dead." She turned back to Rita. "Except, her body is just fine. She's not dead."  
Night nodded. "Get her out then." She turned around, flicking her tail slightly. "I don't want to look at her anymore, if she's just going to disappear..." She turned her head further away from Rita, a tear slipping down her purple cheek.  
Rita glanced at her, then back at Lilac. "Where is the portal?"  
"Floor 23," Lilac replied. "We need to hurry, though, its going to close soon."  
Rita nodded, casting a glance at Vapor, Emerald, Exploud, and Night, who was still turned away. "...Will I ever... see them again...?"  
There was a soft silence before Lilac spoke.  
"No..." she replied blankly.  
Rita felt her eyes well up as she turned back to Vapor, Night, Emerald, and Exploud. "I guess this is... goodbye..."  
Vapor was the first to speak. "I'll miss you, Rita, I really will..."  
Emerald frowned. "I didn't know you well, but it was a pleasure talking with you." She smiled a smile that made Rita want to cry.  
Night continued to stay turned around. "Good luck. Keep Shade and Crobat in order... alright?" Another tear ran down her cheek. "Give them my best regards..."  
Rita nodded vigorously. "I will." She cast a glance at Exploud, who seemed off in a daze.  
Exploud caught her eye.  
"Anything you'd like to say to Rita...? Or more precisely..." Lilac smirked deviously. Lady Pidgeot...?" The Delcatty flicked her tail.  
Exploud looked to the side, a blush spreading across his face. "Tell Pidgeot..." His gaze shifted towards the ground. "I can't miss her because I see her every day, but... I miss her smile..." He stared at Rita. "I rarely see her smile anymore. Get her to smile at least once... so I can see it, even if she can't see me..."  
Lilac grinned. "Thats very... touching."  
Rita nodded.  
_This is farewell... _She thought to herself. _I'll never see them again..._  
"Best regards, Rita," Emerald squeaked.  
"We're always here, remember that." Vapor smiled at her.  
Rita nodded. "You've always been like a mother to me, Vapor... I'm going to miss you..."  
Vapor grinned slightly. "We're here forever. We'll always be..." She narrowed her eyes at Rita, smiling. "Watching you," she finished in a stalkerish tone.  
Rita half-smiled. "R-Right..." She glanced at Lilac. "Lets go..."  
Lilac nodded, at Rita cast one final glance at everyone.  
"Goodbye, everyone," she whispered.  
"We'll always be here," Emerald told her happily. She blinked. "Make sure to stop Rae."  
"And Gengar," Vapor added, anger flashing through her eyes.  
Rita dipped her head. "I will." She turned to Lilac. "Lets go."

•  
A flash of red caught Rae's eye. He slowly turned his head towards the red figure.  
_Vicky... _He stared at the Vulpix. _You... _He shook his head, not wanting to think what he was about to think. _What the Hell is wrong with me? _He scolded himself.  
Veronica stood next to her partner, Sven. They were talking happily as they waited for Lady Pidgeot to start the Pledge.  
Rae eyed Sven, who didn't seem very interested in Veronica's conversation. He seemed interested in...  
_He likes Vicky... _Rae gritted his teeth as he stared at the two. He then quickly shook his head again. _No. Why do I care? _He turned his attention back towards the crowd of Pokemon. He tried to keep his gaze away from the Vulpix, but he couldn't. He felt some sort of unknown emotion slip inside of him as he stared at her.  
_What the Hell is that?! _He clenched his chest, gritting his teeth. He shifted his gaze back to the front of the room. _What's going on? I've never felt such an emotion... _He sighed. Though it seemed... somewhat familiar. Maybe something he felt long, long ago.  
_It must be evil. I have to... eliminate it... _He suddenly grinned sadistically. _Of course... how do I eliminate it, though? _He glanced around. _The source... Eliminate the source... The source would be... _He stared at Veronica. _Her. I must have to eliminate... her._  
"But... I don't want to eliminate her..." Rae argued.  
_"She is the source. Eliminate her."_  
"Who are you?" Rae asked himself. "Gengar isn't here right now..."  
_"A friend. I'm a friend."_  
Rae's eyes widened. What was that? "But-"  
"Rae?"  
Lady Pidgeot looked down at the sound of Ruby's voice.  
"Are you okay?" Ruby looked concerned.  
Rae replaced his deranged smile with a fake grin. "Of course I am!" he lied. "Don't worry yourself!"  
Ruby nodded. "Sorry. Ever since Emerald died..."  
Rae's eyes flashed. "I understand. I felt the same way when Piki died."  
"How exactly did Piki die, Rae?" Ruby asked. "She was such a cutie..."  
_Piki... _Rae let out a sigh. Of course he couldn't tell her the truth about Piki. In all reality, he had bashed Piki's skull in, during a flash of murderous desire. He had gone crazy with a desire to hurt someone, since Gengar had frustrated him, and Piki was the only one around. The simple slap across her face had gone too far, and ended up in the tiny Pichu lying dead on the den floor, dyed in the color of crimson red. Rae didn't enjoy thinking about it. In all reality, he had begun to crush on the little Pichu, so it killed him to relive what he did to her. Recently he had begun to see Piki in nightmares, and in each of them she was lying dead at his feet, his own paws soaked in red.  
Rae shrugged. "She fell from a building and bashed her skull open."  
Ruby frowned. "Thats really unfortunate..." She hung her head. "She was a lot like Emerald."  
Rae hissed. "She was nothing like Emerald. She was nicer, and less annoying!" He flicked his ears.  
Ruby stared at him in surprise. "You think Emerald was annoying...?"  
Rae immediatley regretted that he let that slip out.  
_Great... Now she's gonna suspect something..._  
Rae put on a fake smile. "Not at all!" The Raichu flicked his tail. "I was thinking of something else, that's all~!"  
Ruby smiled. "Uh huh! Of course!"  
_She's so easy to manipulate._  
The green Espeon glanced to the side, a sad look now clouding her eyes. "Of course, I wish I knew who killed her..."  
Rae's eyes widened in surprise. How did she figure out that Emerald had been murdered? "How do you know she was murdered?" he asked.  
"There were bruises on her neck. Someone choked her."  
Rae let out a fake sigh. "Well, thats unfortunate."  
Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yes." Her gaze flickered up to Rae. "Do you... Have an idea of who might have killed her?"  
Rae stared back at her. Was that... Suspicion in her eyes? He put on a fake smile once again. "Nope. Not a clue." _I'll choke you. Just like I choked Emerald. _He told her silently.  
Ruby returned his fake smile. "Okay. Thanks anyway."  
As she turned away towards the front of the room, Rae's smile slipped to a scowl.  
_She can die too._  
"Hey! You!"  
Victoria's voice caught Rae's attention.  
He turned around to face the body of Veronica, Sven at her side. "What do you need?" he asked politely. He couldn't wait until his happy act would be over.  
"Are you evil?" she asked straight-forwardly.  
_What? Someone must have told her stuff... _He sighed. _She's so straight-forward about it... _Rae frowned. "Of course not..." He narrowed his eyes. "Who told you that...?"  
"Smoke did!" Veronica replied cheerfully. "He said that you might try to kill me. I just wanted to check up on that. I'd like to live for a while longer."  
Rae couldn't help but grin.  
"What are you so smiley about?!" Sven asked in horror. "Are you going to try to kill her?!" He latched on to Veronica in fear.  
Rae felt anger rush through him again as Sven hugged her. He glared at Sven. "No, but you might end up killing her if you keep choking her like that, deary."  
Veronica smiled. "Its okay! He's warm for an ice type."  
Sven's face turned red. "Y-You really mean that?"  
The Vulpix nodded. "Of course!"  
Rae wanted to throw up at the sight of Sven upsessing over her. He held his gaze. "Who told you I was evil?" Rae asked again, wanting to change the subject.  
Veronica turned towards him, completely ignoring his question. "Are you warm?" she asked cheerfully. "You look so warm and fluffy."  
Rae took a step back. "W-What?" he asked, confused. _Whats wrong with her?_  
He wasn't prepared when Veronica wrapped her arms around him.  
He felt heat rise to his face for some strange reason, before pushing her away. "What are you doing?!"  
Veronica pouted. "I just wanted to see if you were warm like Sven, thats all."  
Rae's eye twitched, his face red. _What the Hell is wrong with her?! _"I didn't give you permission to touch me!"  
Veronica tilted her head. "I need permission...?"  
Sven was frowning the whole entire time. "Vicky! Don't hug him!" he cried. "You might catch the evil!"  
Rae shot an irritated glare at him. "Answer my question. Who told you I was evil?" He felt the unknown feeling come back as he stared into Veronica's eyes. It seemed... a bit familiar.  
Veronica pricked her ears. "That Quilava... What was his name again?" She rolled her eyes upwards. "Uh... Smoke!"  
_Tsk... It would be him... _Rae smiled. "Don't listen to him. He's gone crazy since his partner disappeared."  
Sven narrowed his eyes. "Really? Or are you lying?"  
Veronica frowned at him. "He's not lying. Isn't he famous or something?" She glanced up at Rae. "Famous Pokemon don't lie, right?"  
_Well that's a lie there itself. _"I wouldn't lie to a new rescue team," he lied.  
Veronica stared at Sven with her Veronica eyes that stared at people. "See? What did I tell you?"  
Sven shrugged. "I-If you say so..." He tugged on Veronica's arm. "Lets go, Vonny. Lets make some new friends."  
Veronica cast one last look up at Rae. "I'll see you!" She smiled gently before following Sven into the crowd.  
Rae stared after her. He clutched his chest. _Jeez... _He cast a glance downwards, then back to where they disappeared in the crowd. _...Am I warm, though?_

•  
"Here, Jetty, you can have mine too!"  
Jet glanced at Sweetie, who held her breakfast out to him. On her plate were two pancakes, caked in syrup. He shook his head. "I'm full."  
Sweetie pouted. "Stop thinking about Rita and _eat_!"  
A blur of blue caught Jet's eye. He recognized the Dewott as Dew.  
Dew pulled out a chair, only stopping to stare arrogantly at Sweetie. "What are you doing here?" He pointed to Sapphire, Sweetie's partner, who was sitting alone at a table. "Scram! You're making my eyes dirty by looking at you!"  
Sweetie stared at Jet. "Are you gonna let him talk to me like that, Jetty-poo?"  
Jet let out a sigh. "Play nice."  
Dew's eye twitched. "Why are you still talking to this..." He glanced at Sweetie. "This _THING_?" he asked. "She's rude, annoying, and she tries to steal Rita from you."  
Hearing his friend's name sent a pang of saddness ripping through him. _Rita... _He stood up, banging his fists on the table. "She's helping me Dew, okay?" he snapped. "You don't help one bit. All you do is sit there and complain."  
Dew blinked, a mixture of pity and sadness washing through his eyes. "You honestly think she's trying to help you...?" he asked. "Jetty, she's _manipulating_ you. She just wants your attention, and she thinks she can get it now that Rita's gone." He cast an annoyed glance at Sweetie. "Get rid of her."  
"I'm standing _right here_!" Sweetie huffed.  
Jet stared at Dew. "How would you feel if Lily died, Dew?"  
Dew frowned. "I'm sure I haven't spent enough time with her to miss her like you miss Rita..." He stared at Jet. "But I'm worried about you, Jetty, I really am. Sweetie's gonna do bad things to your brain."  
_Like he really cares... _Jet cast a glance at Dew, who's eyes were in fact full of worry. It was quiet for a moment.  
"Worry about yourself," Jet finally said.  
"Why would I be mean to Jetty-poo?" Sweetie cooed, cuddling Jet's head in her arms. "I love him!"  
Dew rolled his eyes, frowning at the Lopunny. "Meh... Its just..." He looked away. "Your face... Its..." He stared right into Sweetie's eyes.  
Sweetie flushed. "My... face...?"  
Dew stared at her. "Its so..." He looked away, scowling. "Hideos."  
Jet cracked a smile.  
Sweetie let out a hiss, before glancing back at Jet. "He's mean..."  
Jet glanced up at her. "I like you and all, but what about your partner?"  
Sweetie blinked. "Sapphire? What about her?" She placed a finger on her chin in a thinking motion. "You mean "partners"... No wait... Thorna's dead."  
Jet jolted his head towards Sapphire. The Herdier was sitting at a table alone. She kind of looked like a loser.  
Sweetie glanced in the direction. "Oh dear Arceus I've completely abandoned Sapphire!" She turned back to Jet, kissing his cheek.  
Dew frowned.  
"I'll be back later, Jetty-poo, alright?" she cooed. She dashed off towards the table Sapphire was at.  
Dew scowled after her. "I wonder what Rita thinks," he asked magically.  
Jet glanced back at him. "Stop bringing her up."  
"You can't just forget about her," Dew told him. He closed his eyes. "I keep remembering about how she was supposed to go on a double date with me and Lily, but that can't happen now, can it?"  
Jet grinned. "You're so selfish, Dewwy."  
Dew shrugged. "Its what I'm best at."

A droplet of water slipped down Jet's arm as him, Dew, and Ten marched through the cave. Lady Pidgeot and Garnet had assigned them a bronze rank mission together, much to Jet's dismay.  
Ten shot occasional glares at him, so Jet shot them right back. On the final glare, he was too busy glaring at Ten with a glare to notice the cave wall in front of him. Pain shot through his face as he slammed into it.  
Dew laughed. "Karma."  
Jet rubbed the side of his head. "Not funny."  
Ten grinned. "Why do you keep glaring at me? I helped you in that battle."  
"You started it," Jet retorted. "And just because you helped us doesn't mean you're not scum. You tried to kill Rita."  
"So did Sweetie, but you still hang around her," Ten replied. He shook his head, placing his palm to his forhead. "Honestly, I don't know how you stand her. Lilac and I were paired up with her team before, and all she did was scold the way I slumped down when I walked. We didn't even complete the mission... Lilac and I turned around after she started singing some weird song."  
Jet narrowed his eyes. "Don't talk about her like that. She's suffering. She lost her teammate too."  
"She seems to be doing just fine to me..." Dew grumbled.  
Jet shot a glare at him. "She's doing the best she can to help me," he said, defending the Lopunny. He defended the Lopunny. He did. He couldn't even.  
"She's just trying to make you completely forget about Lila-" Ten cut himself off. "Rita... I mean."  
Jet growled, feeling his face heat up. "Well maybe it's best if I _do_ forget about her," he snarled. "All I do is sulk now, since she's gone. Sweetie can be..." Jet felt his tounge tie up. He didn't want to say the word.  
Ten narrowed his eyes. "Replacement." He sighed. "Honestly, I don't understand you people, 'Arcane Power'..."  
Jet frowned with a frown. "Not... Like that..."  
"But it is like that," Ten growled. "You want to replace her for selfish reasons. You're so-" He cut himself off. "Did you hear that...?" he whispered.  
Jet tilted his head. Was it the sound of Dew throwing his underwear across the room? "Hear what?" he asked, annoyed.  
"I heard someone..." Ten glanced around. He shrugged. "Must've been my imagination." A hint of fear flashed through his eyes.  
"Where are we going to?" Dew asked randomly.  
Jet stared at him. "You're the one that said you knew the way!"  
Dew shrugged.  
"We're going to the end of the cave. Thats where that Volbeat said Illimuse was." He glanced around. "I swear... I heard something else..."  
_"There..."_  
A somewhat-familiar voice stopped Jet from a smart retort.  
"There! I heard it again!" Ten exclaimed.  
"I heard it too," Dew pointed out. "Sounds like a girl."  
Jet nodded in agreement. He wondered if the rocks heard it. "I heard it as well..." Jet wondered if the rocks heard it._ I wonder if the rocks heard it... _He thought, while wondering if the rocks heard it.  
"There..." The voice was clearer now.  
Jet recognized it. "Moon?" he called. "Moon are you there?"  
"Hmmm..." A tiny pink figure appeared from behind the cave wall. She had a dazed look in her eyes.  
"...Moon?" Jet asked. "What are you doing here...?"  
Moon blinked. She waited a bit before answering. "...Jet?" The Clefairy continued to look dazed.  
"What are you doing here?" Jet repeated.  
Moon looked at the cave wall. "Oh..." She placed a finger on her chin in a thinking motion. "What am I doing here... What a question..." She looked at Jet. "I was... looking for Rita."  
Sadness welled up inside Jet's chest. "Moon... Rita's gone... remember?"  
Moon nodded. "Yes.. Yes... I know..." She looked around again. "But Smoke... Is so sad. He's so sad. I thought... that if I find Rita... he'll be happy..." She glanced from Ten, to Dew, to Jet. "I wanted... to make... Smoke happy..."  
"Are you 'kay?" Dew asked, tilting his head. "You look sick..."  
Moon shook her hand. "Its just... a..." She paused. "What do you call them?" She frowned. "Like... sneezing..."  
"A cold?" Ten finished for her.  
Moon nodded. "Right."  
Jet glanced at Ten. He looked very uneasy. "I'll take you back," Jet suggested.  
Dew and Ten stared at him.  
Jet shrugged. "You two can finish the mission. I'll take her back."  
Ten turned around, waving. "Suit yourself." He glanced at Dew. "Let's go, otter."  
Dew sighed. "Cyao, Jetty." He followed Ten around the corner of the cave.  
Moon blinked. "I need to find Rita."  
_Oh how I wish you could... _Jet sighed. "Moon, Rita's _dead_... She isn't coming back... just like Vapor..."  
"But can't we look for them?"  
"We won't find them if they're dead..." Jet sighed. "C'mon, lets take you home."

•  
"MOOOOON! MOON WHERE ARE YOU?!" Plasma glanced nervously around. "Moon! Come out!" She picked up a nearby chair, looking under it. _Nope... Not under there..._  
"What are you doing?" Mightyena's growl sounded. "You're so loud..."  
Plasma glanced up at him. He had his paw in a white band. "Looking for Moon. I can't find her..."  
Mightyena let out an annoyed sigh. "Play hide and seek outside, not in the camp."  
Plasma frowned. "I really can't find her. She was with me a couple hours ago... and then she just vanished." She peered behind Mightyena. "Where's your sidekick?"  
Mightyena shrugged. "Only Arceus knows."  
"You're not even gonna look for him?" Plasma huffed. "Some partner you are."  
Mightyena shrugged. "He's probably just derpin' around somewhere." He glanced from side to side. "Maybe even stalking you."  
"What?!" Plasma scowled. "If that's the case, I'm going to find him and yell at him for being such a freak."  
Mightyena shrugged. "Do what you want." He started away, somewhere where Mightyena's went.  
_Is he going to Hell? _Plasma wondered. She shook her head, sighing. _Losers. Always leaving... _Where's Moon, though?  
"HEY! PLASMA!" An irritating voice sounded behind her.  
She turned around, letting out an annoyed huff. "What do you want, Dio?"  
Dio's face turned red. "I just wanted to talk to you..."  
"I thought I made it clear that _I don't like you_."  
Dio sighed. "I know, but I wanna help you find Moon."  
Plasma's ears perked up. "You do? Do you know where she is?"  
Dio nodded, grinning slightly. "I saw her go off into a cave. I can take you there."  
Plasma's face brightened. "Seriously?! That'd be great!" She grinned. _Maybe he's not so bad._  
Dio smiled, taking the form of an Emolga. "Lets go. Its called Drenched Cave." He started towards the staircase, Plasma behind him.  
"Where are you going?" a voice interrupted them.  
Plasma turned around, narrowing her eyes at the familiar, and very annoying, voice. She hissed. "Whats it to you?"  
Crobat looked away. "I thought you didn't like him." A flash of jealousy swayed through his eyes, but Plasma was completely oblivious to it.  
"He's taking me to Moon," Plasma answered matter-of-factly. "Drenched Cave."  
Crobat frowned, an angry gaze sweeping across his face. He stared at Dio. "You'd take her to a place like that?!"  
Dio frowned. "You underestimate her." He cast a smile at Plasma. "She's really strong."  
Plasma couldn't help but grin. Dio was being nice today. She narrowed her eyes at Crobat. _Unlike him._  
Crobat stared back at her. "What's that look for?"  
"And the idiot is oblivious to obvious reasons," Plasma narrarated. Before Crobat could reply, she looked back at Dio. "Take me to Drenched Cave now."  
Dio nodded. "Of course!"  
He started once again towards the staircase, Plasma behind him.  
Crobat growled. "I'm gonna come with you."  
Plasma turned to look at him. "Why?" She glared at him.  
"Because two idiots shouldn't go off to such a dangerous place alone!" he snarled. "We don't need anybody going missing."  
Plasma stretched. "Why do you care if we go missing?"  
Crobat's eyes darted to the side. "I...don't. But it would be bad for Pidgeot. She seems... different lately, and we shouldn't upset her."  
"_Lady_ Pidgeot," Dio corrected. He rolled his eyes. "And we're fine alone, thanks."  
"I'm going anyway, thanks." Crobat narrowed his eyes at Dio.  
Dio stared back, something flashing between the two of them.  
Plasma sighed. "Whatever. But don't talk to me."  
"Don't tell me what to do!" Crobat hissed.

Crobat stopped in front of the cave, glancing inside. "Dark..."  
"You're not scared of the dark, are you?" Plasma taunted.  
"Of course not!" Crobat growled.  
"Lets go," Dio said. "I saw her go in here."  
Plasma stepped in, a strange, watery smell hitting her nose. "What a weird place for Moon to wander off into."  
"B-Be careful!" Crobat warned. "You don't know what's in there!"  
"Why do you care?" Plasma asked again. "Honestly..."  
Crobat turned his face away. "Just go in..."  
Dio paced himself next to Plasma. He smiled at her. "You're brave, Plasma!"  
Plasma smiled back. "Thank you..." Dio was being nice.  
"She's not brave, she's foolish..." Crobat mumbled.  
Plasma turned on him. "What was that?!"  
Crobar rolled his eyes. "Nothing..."  
Plasma turned away, narrowing her eyes. He was so _rude_. Why couldn't be be more like Dio? She glanced around. Why had he decided he wanted to come, anyway? She glanced at the bat, who looked like he was talking quietly to himself. _What an idiot. _Plasma's eye caught a turn in the wall. She started towards it.  
"Where are you going?!" Crobat called to her.  
"Why do you care?" Plasma called back, peering around the corner. A straight, jagged, dark path led what seemed to be about a couple yards down. A strange mist floated around it, disabling any further view of the path. "I found a path!" Plasma called back to them.  
Dio appeared beside her. "Good job, Plasma!" He flashed a smile at her.  
"You shouldn't randomly run off like that!" Crobat hissed, a hint of fear in his voice. "What if behind the wall there was some sort of trap door? You're such an idiot!"  
Plasma closed her eyes, stretching her arms out once again. "Once again, what's it to you?"  
Crobat's eyes darted to the side again.  
"Yes, Crobat," Dio started, squinting at him. "Why do you care so much?"  
Crobat muttered something silently that Plasma nor Dio could catch. He glanced at Plasma and Dio. "I told you before, jeez..." He flew a few steps ahead of Plasma. "Hurry up."  
Plasma shrugged, starting ahead of the bat. "Whatever. You're so annoying..."  
Dio kept pace behind her as they started down the path.  
Crobat glanced at him. "Why don't you change into a Pokemon more efficent for this terrain and be useful?"  
Dio didn't look back at him. "When I'm an Emolga it makes Plasma like me." His gaze shifted to the ground. "I want her to like me..." He stepped in pace with Crobat, lowering his voice so Plasma coudn't hear. "She's mine."  
Crobat stared at him, jealousy flashing through his eyes. "Good! You can have her. Why do I care?"  
"That's what I want to know," Dio pressed. "You like her."  
Crobat glanced nervously to the side, a red flush washing over his face. "I don't! What's wrong with you people?!"  
Dio shrugged. "It just kinda seems like you do."  
Water swayed down the cave's walls, dripping onto the top of Plasma's head. It seemed like every step she took she stepped in a puddle. _This place is annoying. _She took another step forward, but this time the puddle was too deep. She fell into a deep, muddy puddle.  
Dio chuckled.  
"I told you to be careful, you idiot!" Crobat flew up about a foot away from her. "What's wrong with you?"  
Plasma pulled herself out, shaking the water off her coat. It splashed on to Crobat. "I hate this cave!" she whined. "Too wet!" She glanced around. "Moon better show up soon!"  
Crobat rolled his eyes. "Tried to tell you..." He flopped his wing, flinging the water off of him. "How annoying..."  
"You didn't have to come anyway, you know!" Plasma snapped.  
Crobat's face flushed a light red. "I came because I wanted to!"  
"Well why would you want to come if you knew I'd be here?" Plasma crossed her arms. "You don't make any sense. You hate me."  
"I don't hate you!" Crobat growled.  
"Yeah you do!" Plasma shot back. "You're constantly telling me how much you hate me!"  
"Why do you hate her so much, Crobat?" Dio asked, a grin on his face.  
"I don't hate her!" Crobat started, "I love her!"  
"Then what-" Plasma cut herself off. She blinked, finally registering the words in her head. "You..." She blinked again. "Huh?"  
_What does he mean?_  
Crobat's face instantly turned a bright red as he had realized what he said. He threw his wings over his mouth. He looked to the side. "Uh... I... I was just..." He searched his mind for a lie. "I was just practicing my... acting..." He glanced at Dio, then Plasma. "Was I... convinving?"  
"Oh..." Plasma breathed, somewhat relieved. She glanced up at Crobat. "And no. You were terrible. You _really_ need to work on that. I didn't believe it for a second." Some part of Plasma wished that Crobat's "acting" hadn't actually been acting.  
Dio shot a glare at Crobat. "I was pretty convinced." He lowered his voice. "A little _too_ convinced..."  
"Plasma...?"  
The voice of Plasma's partner caught her attention. She glanced down the path as two figures appeared from the fog. Plasma recognized the two as Moon and Jet.  
Plasma flew up to her partner, tackling her with a hug. "Moon! Don't wander off like that! What were you doing?!"  
Moon blinked. "Rita. Looking for... Rita..." She glanced around. "Make Smoke happy. Smoke can be happy..."  
Sadness instantly clouded the Emolga's mind. "Moon, don't look for things that aren't here anymore..."  
"But Rita's still here... isn't she...?" Moon tilted her head.  
Jet looked to the side, a depressed look in her gaze.  
For a brief second, Plasma forgot what they were talking about. "Wait... who's... Rita?" She shook her head, the emptiness gone now. "Nevermind..."  
Jet shot a glance at her, obviously confused. "I didn't expect you to be here." He glanced ahead. "...With Crobat? And Dio...Why?"  
"We were looking for Moon!" Plasma said matter-of-factly. "Dio saw her go in here."  
Jet scratched the back of his head. "Okay... You can all take Moon back then, right?" He looked back the way he came. "I was on a mission when I found her."  
Plasma looked awkwardly at Moon. "Please don't run off. I was worried about you."  
Moon glanced at the ground. "I'm sorry, Plasma." Something that looked like regret flashed through her eyes.  
Plasma ignored it. "Lets get going then." She saluted Jet. "Thank you!"  
Jet nodded. "Not a problem..." He disappeared into the fog.  
Plasma glanced at Moon. "You really had me worried."  
Moon frowned. "I'm sorry." She looked around. "Is Rita really gone...?"  
Plasma looked at the ground. "Yes..."  
Suddnly, a strange chill went down her spine. A familiar coldness seemed to wrap itself around the atmosphere. She perked her head up, shivering. "Lets get out now," she said through clenched teeth. "It suddenly got really cold..."  
She felt Dio wrap his arm around her. "I'll keep you warm," he whispered.  
Not noticing Crobat's jealous gaze, or Moon's creepy smile, the group exited Drenched Cave.

•  
"Here it is. We had a hard time finding it..."  
Rita stared at the portal that would take her back to the physical world. Se shot a grateful look at Lilac, who's body gleamed against the portal's white light. "Thank you."  
Lilac nodded. "You are welcome." Her gaze shifted back to Rita. "You need to be very careful. I asume you remember Lilligant's warning."  
Rita nodded. "Trust no one."  
"I hope you take her words seriously," Lilac started, "enemies lie in every shadow. One of your closest friends could very well be your next enemy."  
Rita stared at the ground. "I know... but how would I be able to hurt any of them?" She stared at the portal. "I mean... Plasma's like my best friend, Smoke's my partner, Moon's so sweet, Dew is great, Flower is amazing..." She looked back at Lilac. "How could any of them be my enemy?"  
Lilac shook her head. "You never know..."She sighed. "This is goodbye."  
Rita was quiet. "I won't see you ever again either... will I?"  
The light shining from the portal was the only thing fighting the darkness.  
Lilac sighed. "Destiny is a weird thing... It takes you places you'd never think you'd go, and you meet people you'd never think you'd meet..." She paused. "Unexpected turns, fateful encounters... You never know what lies ahead of you." Her gaze darted back to Rita. "It isn't likely that we'll meet again... but you have a crazy destiny. It might just bring us together again."  
Lilac's mesmerizing words gave Rita hope. She smiled. "You sound like a poet," she whispered.  
Lilac shrugged. "I try."  
A silence floated in the air between them, the only sound the soft hum of the portal.  
"When you go back, it will be night time. About... one A.M." Lilac pointed with her tail to the portal. "You should get going."  
Rita was quiet as she padded towards the portal. She turned back to face Lilac. "Thank you for everything, honestly." She placed a paw in the portal. It tugged on her, almost like a wave.  
"You're welcome." Lilac paused. "Oh!" Her eyes widened. "I forgot to tell you something! When you disappear, everybody will-" She cut herself off as she saw that Rita was no longer standing in front of her. The Delcatty hissed. "Damn..." she cursed silently to herself.  
The portal closed in front of her.

Rita's eyes flew open, as the warm scent of nature filled her nostrils. She stood on Crystal Beach, the night sky glimmering with stars and the ocean swaying back and forth.  
She glanced at the green building in the distance.  
_I'm home._  
She pelted towards it, thewind whipping her face. She paused in front of it, staring upwards at her floor. She tilted her head at what seemed to be eyes glowing in the window that should be Moon and Plasma's room. They disappeared.  
Rita stood in front of the camp, breathing heavily from the long dash. The gate was locked.  
_Gah... I forgot that Lady Pidgeot locks up at night. _she remembered. _Maybe someone will see me._  
As if Arceus himself answered her prayers, the gate creaked open. Behind the gate was the figure of a Clefairy, her arms behind her back. She looked stunned to see Rita. "So you _are _alive!" She smiled. "Ritaaaa~!"  
Rita felt herself tearing up as she ran towards Moon. "I've missed you!"  
Moon stopped Rita's hug with her foot, keeping her hands behind her back. "N-No... I'm all smelly."  
Rita grinned. "Its still good to see you."  
Moon's gaze shifted to the ground. "How did you escape the ghost world?"  
"I got help from Lilac," Rita answered, her smile still planted on her face. _Something about Moon seems... off._  
Moon looked up at her and smiled. "That's great!" She tilted her head. "I'm really confused though... Can we go to Crystal Beach?" she asked randomly.  
Rita yawned. "Yeah."

"The waves are really pretty, aren't they?" Moon asked cheerfully.  
Rita nodded in agreement. "Yeah!" The waves crashed against her paws.  
The moon shone on the clear ocean in such a way that it made Rita want to run through the field.  
As Moon went on about how pretty the ocean's blue color was, Rita's thoughts drifted back to Jet and everybody else.  
_I hope Jet is okay... What if he hates me, though?! I haven't been wtching him, so I have no idea if he's gotten with Sweetie or not... And what is Rae up to? Has Gengar gotten to Arceus yet? _Questions buzzed through her mind like a Beedrill.  
"Wouldn't it look pretty dyed in red?"  
Moon's strange question caught Rita's attention.  
"You mean like paint, right?" Rita asked, tilting her head.  
Moon frowned. "Blood."  
A chill went down Rita's spine. "Are you okay?"  
"Rita, I have to confess something to you..." Moon stated.  
Rita stared at Moon, uneasiness swerving in the air around her. "What is it?"  
"I..." She shook her head. "Nevermind. Its too complicated to explain." Her hands were still behind her back. She glanced at the ocean. "It will look really pretty once I'm done."  
"What do you mean?" Rita asked.  
Moon looked back at her, her happy eyes now turned to slits. "The ocean, I mean." She brought her arms out from behind her back.  
Rita's eyes widened in fear as she spotted a butcher knife in Moon's right hand.  
"I'm sorry Rita..." Moon looked at the ground, a slight sadness flashing through her eyes. She looked back up at Rita, the sadness now gone. "But it's time to die again."

•

•

•  
•


	28. Unsaid Farewells, Tears in the Moonlight

**Konichiwa, kittens! :3 I just wanted to thank you for reading this far. :'D It really does mean a lot. I know my story went from happy-go-lucky to like, dark and lesson-y. I started this when I was like, 11, and I'm 14 now so you can probably see why it's changed so much. There are also some parts where I just get so damn lazy, that I don't even bother to explain things. Yet, you guys keep reading anyway c': This chapter is shorter than the few before it, so I hope you don't mind. It's also kind of random, with Moon and all. I hope you don't mind that, either. Uh, anyways, have fun reading about the battle between Moon and Rita c: Depending on what you prefer, you might not like this chapter a whole lot.**

**Enjoy.**

The first instinct Rita had was to run. Moon had a knife, and that could have her on the ground in pain in just a few seconds. Despite her instinct calling her away from Crystal Beach, she held her ground.

"W-Why?!" she stammered. "We're friends!"

Moon frowned. "We _were _friends, that's why I was happy that I wasn't the one that had to kill you. Everything was perfect with you in the ghost world."

Rita felt terror run through her veins. "You're on Rae's side, then...? When did this happen?!"

"I would prefer a shorter goodbye," Moon stated softly, pointing her knife outwards. "Battling has never been my forte, so that's why I have this." She shrugged. "But I suppose you deserve to know everything before you die again."

Rita felt relieved. Hopefully Moon's story could buy her some time.

Moon drew her knife back. "Well," she started in the cute tone she always used, "I love Smoke, you know. I've always been watching him. Even if it's just from the sidelines, I was happy." She smiled softly, glancing at the ground. "But one night I was talking to Rae, and he told me that he could make a world where I wouldn't have to watch from the sidelines anymore. I could walk a path beside Smoke, and we could both be happy all the time. But in that world..." Her slitted gaze shifted upwards to meet Rita's. "You do not exist."

Another pack of shivers made it's way down Rita's spine.

"Don't get me wrong, now," Moon said, waggling her finger. "I was pretty upset. I like you, so it was kinda depressing. I thought about it for a while, and decided that it was worth it. I love Smoke, so it's a risk worth taking. Today I went into Drenched Cave to ask Froslass, Latias, and Latios a question. It was bad luck that Team Water Pulse and Ten were there, but I'm a good actor so it was okay."

"What did you ask them?" asked Rita.

"I wanted to make sure you were dead, of course," Moon replied. "They said you were... but you're standing in front of me now." Moon shrugged. "I guess they lied, so I have to kill you now... for the sake of Smoke's happiness!"

Moon lunged at Rita, swiping her knife at her.

Rita jumped to the side, the knife nicking the tip of her shoulder. "What about everybody else?!" Rita asked, dodging more swings. "Plasma and Flower and all our friends?!"

"They're just sacrifices!" Moon hurled her knife at Rita.

Rita deflected it with a thunderbolt, causing it to fly into the ocean.

Moon plunged her hand into the sand, her hand reappearing with two more knives.

"You're really prepared, aren't you?" Rita huffed.

"You must be prepared in any situation," Moon replied, throwing her knives in a crossed formation.

"If this world is not saved then Smoke will die too! It will be destroyed!" Rita tried to dodge the left knife, but that only led to the right one sticking her shoulder. She gasped in pain. _I have to fight back. I have no other choice. _She released a Blizzard at Moon, who dodged it easily.

"Why didn't you fight like this during the tournament?" Rita asked her.

Moon frowned. "And give away my skill to my enemy? I don't think so." She plunged her hand into the sand again, retrieving another knife.

_She must have the whole beach analyzed... If I'm not careful I might step- _Rita's thoughts were cut off as a sharp pain jabbed into her foot. "Agh!"

Moon grinned. "They're everywhere. I know exactly where they all are." She threw the knife at Rita. "You might as well give into your fate!" There was a slight hint of sadness in her voice.

Rita detected it as she dodged to the side, blood dripping down her shoulder, staining the sand. _She has some sort of regret at this! I know it!_

"Hold still so I can kill you!" Moon whined, another knife already in her hand.

Rita glanced at the knife sticking out of her shoulder. Removing that would be painful. Her vision started to double. _I'm losing too much blood..._

Another wave of pain shuddered through the Delcatty as Moon's knife ripped through her shoulder. It threw her backwards.

Her blood oozed out on to the sand like a current. A wave nuzzled up to her, the salt in it causing her wounds to howl with pain. She didn't want to die.

Rita threw a thunderbolt at the sky, hoping someone would see it. She could barely move.

The stars in the sky twinkled with Arcane Power.

_Am I really going to die this time? I just got done with being dead..._

She stared at the sky, her eye catching the brightest star. _Team Meteor... That will be Team Meteor... _The star doubled, eventually turning into three.

Moon's shadow fell over her. "I don't want to, Rita... I really don't." She stood over Rita, staring down at her.

Rita felt something warm drop on to her face. _Rain...? _No, it was too warm to be rain. _Is Moon peeing on me?! _She glanced up at the Clefairy, who had water in her eyes. It fell down on to Rita's face, giving the illusion that Rita was crying as well.

The tears reflected the moonlight, illuminating Moon's face. It made it look like Moon's face was sparkling.

"Why are you crying, Moon?" Rita asked. _I don't want to die..._

Moon wiped her face. "I'm not... crying..." She sniffed. "It's what needs to be done..." She brought her knife above her head.

_I don't want to die._

Rita closed her eyes, knowing that the next dew seconds of her life would be very painful.

_I don't want to die._

More warmth dripped on to Rita's face.

"Goodbye, Rita..." Moon's voice cried softly.

_I don't want to die._

Moon swung her arm down as Rita braced herself.

Suddenly, the shadow over Rita disappeared.

Rita opened her eyes, taking in the image of the stars. _Why am I not dead yet? _She lifted her head up, only to see the shape of Moon and another figure wrestling on the ground.

Rita felt joy stir in her chest. "Rici!" she cried, recognizing her brother instantly. So the Riolu _was _alive.  
"W-What?!" Moon's tone echoed confusion as she scrambled away from Rici. "You should be _dead_!"  
Rici stood up as well. "Well I'm not." He let out a growl. "_Traitor_._"_  
Moon tears slimmed to a slight watery glow. "Is it so wrong to want to be with the one you love? I just want to make him happy!"  
Rici held his gaze. "Who?"  
"Smoke." Moon plunged her hand into the sand. "I'll kill you too if I have to!" As her hand wiggled around in the sand, she widened her eyes. "Wha-? There should be..."  
"A knife there?" Rici asked, dangling a knife in front of his face.  
Moon turned around, her eyes wild. "Give me that!"  
"Why should I give it to you?" Rici asked, staying still.  
Moon's eyes showed fear. Her body shook as she answered. "I need it so I can kill you and have a perfect world with Smoke."  
Rita slowly sat up, pain rippling throughout her entire body. The knife in her left shoulder dropped on to the sand. "But we're... your friends..."  
Moon shook her head. "No! I can't be your friend!" She dropped to her knees, sobbing into her hands. "I have to kill you! I can't be your friend if I have to kill you!" Her tears dripped on to the sand, mixing with the blood that had been splattered. Waves lapped at Moon's knees, slowly washing away the blood. A red tint filled the ocean.  
Rici stood over Moon, the knife in his hand. "Pokemon battle with moves, not kitchen knives."  
Moon peered at him between her fingers.  
Rici turned towards the ocean, before hurling the knife into it's waters. It made a splashing noise as it hit the water, sending ripples through the ocean.  
Moon stared after it.  
Rici looked down at Moon. "You really want to kill your friends just for the sake of one Pokemon?" His eyes reflected the moonlight in the same way Moon's tears did.  
Moon moved her finger through the sand, making the shape of Smoke's face. "I don't want to..." she whispered. She stuck her hand in the sand. "But..." Her hand clasped around the handle of a knife. "I have to!" In a split second, she pulled the knife out of the sand, thrusting it straight at Rici.  
Rita watched in horror as the knife went through his chest and exited through his back. It looked more like a sword than a knife.  
Blood dripped from the corner of Rici's mouth as he made a choking sound. He fell backwards, hitting the sand with a_ thud_.  
"RICI!" Rita screeched in terror. _He just got back. Arceus, please don't let him be dead._  
Moon stood up, staring blankly down at Rici. "I know every inch of this beach, where every knife is located. I have more than one in each spot." She scowled. "You all underestimate me."  
Out of nowhere, a flame was sent hurling at Moon.  
Moon's eyes widened in surprise as she dodged out of the way, barely in time. As soon as she dodged, a strip of a physic wave caught her in mid-air. She plummeted towards the ground, instantly scrambling up and taking a knife out of the sand.  
Rita glanced up to see the figures of Plasma, Flower, and Smoke.  
Plasma stared at Moon, a horror-stricken look on her face.  
Moon's eyes stared wildly at Smoke, not noticing Plasma or Flower.  
Flower looked terrified. "I'll go get help!" she cried, before dashing off.  
Moon seemed to snap back to reality. "I can't let you!" She hurled her knife in the direction of Flower, who was floating towards the Rescue Camp.  
Smoke reached out and stopped it in mid-air, not keeping his gaze off Moon. It reminded Rita of an action movie.  
Moon frowned. "Smoke, why did you do that?!"  
Smoke scoffed. "Why _wouldn't_ I do that?! Why are you attacking everyone?!"  
Moon's face turned a dark red. "I-I'm doing it so you can be happy, Smoke!"  
"How the Hell would this make me _happy_?!" Smoke yelled at her. "What's with you all of the sudden?!"  
"Rae promised me a happy world!" Moon cried. "A happy world where we can always be happy! I'm doing this for you, Smoke!"  
Smoke snorted. "So you're on Rae's side?! Why would you join him?!"  
Moon looked frustrated. "Please don't think badly of me! I'm doing it so we can be happy!"  
"M-Moon..." Plasma finally spoke. "What did you do... to Rici...?" She glanced around. "And Rit-" She cut herself off. "HOLY ARCEUS RITA IS HERE!"  
Rita grinned at her ignorance. _If only it were a happier reunion._  
Moon shuffled her hands. "Those who were killed were just getting in my way... I had to..."  
"No you didn't!" Smoke snarled. "Think straight! Rici's your friend!"  
"_Was_ my friend..." Moon stared at the ground. "He became a burden when he saved Rita."  
Smoke glanced at Rita who was on the ground, a knife in her shoulder. His eyes widened in terror as he glanced back at Moon. "What did you do to Rita?!"  
"I did it because she can't exist in the new world! Those were Rae's orders" Moon cried. "I-"  
"Moon, finish them now," a semi-familiar voice said.  
Rita glanced around, unsure of who the voice belonged to.  
Three figures appeared beside Moon; Latios, Latias, and Froslass. The voice belonged to Latios.  
"Deary, we can't wait any longer. Finish them," Froslass sighed. Her presence sent chill down Rita's spine.  
"Y-You!" Smoke stammered. "What are you doing here?!"  
"Kill Rita," Latios told Moon blankly. "I'm hungry. Do it quick."  
Moon frowned. "I..." She started over to where Rita lied on the ground. "I'm sorry Rita... I really did like being your friend."  
"No you don't!" Smoke lunged towards Moon, only to be stopped by Latios.  
"I don't think so. Gengar will get mad at us if she isn't killed soon." Latios nodded at Plasma, who looked ready to sprint at Moon. "Get the other one," he yelled to Froslass.  
Froslass immediately appeared beside Plasma, grabbing her so she couldn't move.  
Moon stood over Rita once again. "I'll try this again..." She brought her knife into the air.  
"MOON, HALT YOUR ACTIONS!" Lady Pidgeot's voice called, as some sort of water pulse came flying at her.  
Rita felt Moon grab her by the shoulder and dodge to the side. Her shoulder howled in pain at the sudden force.  
Moon put Rita's neck in an arm lock, placing the tip of her knife on the Delcatty's throat. She turned to face the mob of Pokemon that were coming towards her, eager to see what was going on. Jet and Flower were at the front, while Dew stood with Lily. Flake, Beedrill, and Lilly stared in horror at Rici's body, then at Rita's. Fear that Rita had never seen before flashed through Lilly's eyes.  
"GET OFF HER!" Jet yelled at Moon, a mixture of anger and fear blazing like a fire through his eyes. Rita realized Sweetie was nowhere to be found.  
_Jet... _The sight of the Floatzel comforted her. Their gaze met, and as soon as it did Jet's face turned red and he looked away. _I don't want to die. I want to stay with him longer..._  
Moon's grip around her neck tightened. "Take one more step and she's dead!" Tears flooded her eyes.  
"Just do it!" Froslass hissed. "Kill her! Hurry up! Pay no attention to them!" she growled, holding Plasma.  
Rita spotted Crobat not to far from the mob, staring in fear at Plasma. He seemed concerned for her more than he was for Rita.  
Rae appeared at the back, staring blankly at everything. He seemed to be communicating with Latias, who was glancing nervously back and forth between him and Moon. She didn't seem to understand what he was trying to tell her.  
More tears slipped down Moon's cheeks. "I'm trying!" she cried, the knife quivering in her hand. "I-" She seemed to choke on the words at she simply poked at Rita's neck. "I... can't..." she sobbed, placing her face in her hands again. "I can't kill Rita!" She released her grip around Rita's neck.  
Rita breathed in air, collapsing on the ground. She glanced up at Moon as tears slipped down her cheeks, mingling with the sand.  
"I just wanted a world where Smoke and I can be together forever..." Moon sniffled. "But Rita's my friend... I..."  
Smoke's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" A light blush crossed his face. "W-What do you mean?! You tried to kill my partner!"  
Rita watched Latias and Rae. Rae was motioning what seemed like a slicing motion to her. Latios was confused for a split second, but then seemed to get the message. She nodded, a grin crossing her face.  
_Oh no! She's going to kill me! _Terror ripped at Rita's stomach. _But I can't move!_  
Moon's face flooded with tears. "I did this for you, Smoke!"  
Smoke scowled. "Why do you hate me so much as to try and kill my partner!" His face scrunched up in anger. "I hate you!"  
Moon's eyes filled with a mixture of terror and sadness. "No, Smoke, don't say you hate me! Don't say it!" she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love y-"  
As Rita tried to crawl away, she heard Moon's voice cut off. Rita turned around, wondering what caused her to stop her sentence off so abruptly. She wished she hadn't turned around.  
Latias had pulled the knife out of Rici, and used it to stab Moon through the back of her head. She pulled it away, causing Moon to slump into the sand. "We can't have Pokemon we can't fully trust to do their job. You were promised a perfect world, and you denied it." Her eyes showed a sadistic pleasure. "Enjoy Hell, Moon~!" Her eyes then changed back to normal, as she stared at Moon's body. "H-How sad..." she squeaked.  
Everyone was silent as they watched the red life pour out of Moon, staining the sand red. Rita noticed that tears continued to slip down Moon's cheeks, even though she new Moon was already dead. A stab to the head like that would kill someone instantly.  
The ocean lapped silently at Moon's lifeless body, stealing the blood and dying itself a darker red.  
Froslass and Latios both released their grip on Smoke and the traumatized Plasma.  
"Lets go," Latios stated. "We can't take them all on at once." He disappeared.  
Froslass sighed, glancing at Moon. "How wasteful..." Her body seemed to disappear as well.  
"G-Gengar will be upset with this..." Latias disappeared into thin air after Froslass.  
Rita's thoughts were tangled. _A single stab to the head... Is all it took to kill her... _Rita's eyes widened in fear. _She could have killed me right away, while we were talking on the beach... _The realization made Rita sick to her stomach, yet... _She could have killed me right away... but she didn't... _Rita glanced at Moon's body again. _She still thought of us as friends._  
Silence stung the air for quite a while before Ruby's voice screeched, "Get them to a hospital!"  
All at once bodies swerved around her, causing her to feel dizzy. She slowly glanced over at Rici's body. It might have been an illusion since her vision was doubled, but it looked like he was still breathing.  
Feeling slightly relieved, she let the others carry her off. She heard Jet's voice beside her, but her ears were ringing too loud to hear him. She stared at the starry sky once more, her eyes finding the brightest star. It was again the same one that reminded her of her team, Team Meteor. It again might of been an illusion, but it looked like the star had gotten bigger.

•  
Rae couldn't care in the slightest what had happened to the Clefairy. He had completely forgotten his "promise" to her anyway. He just had a need for more allies at the time, so he had recruited Moon by promising her something that could never happen.  
_She must have been desperate at the time. _Rae thought with a sigh. _But isn't everyone?_ It annoyed him how oblivious people were to the real world. Moon had been living the last couple months of her life i the dark, hopeless fantasy that she could live happily ever after.  
Rae scowled. _She should have known that stuff like that doesn't exist. _Irritation prickled at him like a thorn. _But I'm sure a perfect world can exist, just not for Moon... Where's Gengar?_  
Without knowing it, he glanced around, looking for any sign of Veronica. He realized with a jolt that he was doing it again. The past few days, he would carelessly find himself looking for the Vulpix. I annoyed him to his very core. _I've got to stop that. Why am I looking for her, anyway?_  
"Hey! Rae-kun!"  
Rae turned his head at the familiar voice of Victoria. He put on a scowl, even though a part of him leaped at the sight of her. "Why are you calling me "kun"?"  
Veronica chuckled. "Got bored." Her face then turned slightly serious, something Rae hadn't seen on her face in a while. "I need to talk to you."  
"What is it?" The Raichu crossed his arms.  
Veronica's voice lowered to a hush. "Its about that team, Team Luck."  
Rae's heart skipped a beat. If she had found out that she was actually Victoria, he might have to kill her. _Why do I care whether or not I have to kill her, anyway? I've had no problem before... _"What about them...?"  
Veronica shuffled her paws. "Well... I think I might be the Vulpix that killed herself. Like, a reincarnation. I believe in that." She glanced to the side as Rae's heart sank. "I haven't told Sven yet. He might feel offended or something."  
Rae felt a shadowy dread grip the pit of his stomach. "Why are you telling me, then? Do you remember being..." His tongue dried up as the name slipped into his mouth. "...Vicky?"  
Veronica shrugged, her gaze shifting to the ground. "I keep having these dreams... In the dreams I see that Clefairy that died, Plasma, that silver Floatzel, a Vaporeon, that Dewott, Smoke, and Rita..." Her gaze shifted up. "But I see Flower and a Chansey the most. I can't count how many times I've had nightmares about the Chansey dying. Its always the same way, too..." She shuddered, a look of fear flashing through her eyes. "Rocks... falling on top of her, as she knocks me out of the way."  
_I was there. I remember that. _Rae kept his gaze fixed on the trembling Vulpix.  
Her eyes grew wide. "The whole time I just keep thinking, "It should have been me. It should have been me!"" Her fearful gaze subsided. "The dreadful fog of the dream keeps going after she dies, though... It always ends with me jumping out of a window, and watching over Rita." She looked up at Rae. "And then I wake up."  
_She's remembering. She's remembering being Vicky. _Rae placed a fake, trembling smile on his face. "Lets talk in the kitchen. Nobody will hear us there..." _She's going to become a threat..._  
Veronica followed Rae into the kitchen, her eyes staring straight ahead.  
_"You're going to have to kill her."_  
_I don't want to._  
_"Why not?"_  
_I don't know._  
The kitchen smelled of different food, mixing together to create one putrid scent.  
Veronica covered her nose. "How do the cooks even _stand_ it in here?"  
Rae glanced awkwardly around the kitchen, making sure nobody was there. He glanced back at Veronica, staring at her pretty, flame-like eyes.  
She glanced back at Rae, all playfulness gone. "You knew who the Chansey was, right? I saw you in my dream when she died."  
Rae felt himself choke inside. She had explained earlier that she had lived her dream until her death in the past life. That meant that she would have found out that he wasn't on their side. He knew, but he asked anyway. "What role do I play in your dreams?"  
Veronica shrugged. "Well, at first you were kind of like an idol. Everyone respected you, I respected you. I liked you."  
Rae's face flushed as she said the words, even though he didn't know what kind of 'like' she meant.  
She continued. "But then I find out that you're planning to destroy the world..." her gaze shifted to the ground, not meeting his. "Crazy dream, right?" She gave a fake laugh. "Do you think it was real?"  
"You tell me," Rae replied, keeping his gaze on her.  
"I talked to Smoke before I spoke to you," Veronica admitted blankly. "He says its real. That you're a threat, and you're going to..." Her gaze met his. "Kill me..."  
A piercing silence filled the air between them, almost like something in a movie.  
"Why did you come to me, then?" Rae asked, "if you already spoke to Smoke."  
Veronica put on a weak smile. "Because you're my friend!"  
_Friend._  
The word was fake; nonexistent. He only had one friend, and only needed one friend. He wasn't even sure if he could consider Gengar a friend. Gengar was more like a savior than a friend, if that even made sense.  
Rae stared at her. "Friend? We barely talk..."  
"Yeah, but I still consider you a friend." She smiled dully. "So you're a human? And I'm a human?"  
"You're supposed to hate me, not consider me your friend," Rae said coldly, ignoring her other questions. His heart stung, realizing that he would have to kill her.  
Veronica smiled. "I considered you a friend after I consulted Smoke."  
Rae scowled. "Why? Thats when you found out the truth!"  
"I considered you a friend because I realized that you hadn't killed me," Veronica replied happily. "You had the chance so many times, yet you didn't. Why didn't you?"  
Rae's eyes darted to the side. "How do you know I won't kill you?"  
Veronica shrugged. "Because I trust you."  
Rae felt his face burn. "You shouldn't."  
"Why not?"  
Rae was silent. "...You never know what I might do. Or Gengar..." He slowly backed towards a counter. "I have to kill you."  
Veronica's gaze stayed the same. "Why?"  
"Because you know..." Rae felt his heart sting. _I don't want to kill her._  
_"But you need to."_  
_Why? I don't want to._  
_"She's an enemy. She's in the way of your perfect world."_  
_...Why can't she be part of my perfect world?_  
_"She doesn't exist in your perfect world."_  
Rae felt his hand reach for the counter. His hand wrapped around a knife. _I'll make it quick. I'll take the body to the cave Team Waterpulse was in earlier... _His head snapped up as he realized he was talking about _killing _Veronica. _No... Vicky. _Vicky; the only person he didn't hate. _I don't hate Vicky... Why don't I?_  
Veronica stared at him as he reached for the knife. "Why?"  
Rae glanced to the side, sadness ripping at his chest. "I already answered that." He felt the words of the thing inside of him take over. "You need a perfect world. She can't exist in that perfect world."  
Veronica tilted her head. "Are you talking about me?"  
"Yes..."  
"Why can't I exist in your world?" She asked.  
Rae was silent. "I don't know." He swung the knife at her.  
She reacted by dodging to the side. "We're friends. Don't kill me."  
"I have no choice." Rae tackled her, bringing the knife up behind his head. He brought it down.  
Vicky stared up at him, her eyes twinkling.  
The knife stopped a centimeter from her neck. It shook in Rae's hand.  
Frustration pricked at him as his hands shook. _I can't do it._  
Vicky's eyes sparkled once more. "You can't kill me, can you?" A smile spread across her lips. "So you think of me as a friend, too?"  
Rae hopped off her, crouching on the floor and clutching his pounding head. _Why do I care? Why the Hell do I care?! Why can't I kill her?! _  
_"Because you're letting your feelings get the best of you."_  
_I don't have feelings..._  
_"You got lucky last time. She killed herself You didn't have to do it. But luck doesn't come twice."_  
_Shut up._  
_"I can't. Kill her."_  
_You aren't Gengar. Don't tell me wat to do._  
"Vonny!"  
Sven's voice pierced Rae's ears. He lifted his head up, staring at the Sneasel in the doorway to the kitchen.  
Sven's eyes drifted from Rae, to Victoria, then finally to the knife on the ground. His eyes grew wide. "What are you doing to Vonny?!" He rushed over to her before Rae could answer, crouching beside her. "Are you okay?! What happened?!"  
Victoria stood up, smiling at Sven. "Nothing." She glanced over at Rae, her smile still on her face. "Right Rae?"  
Rae stared at her, stunned. _Why isn't she telling Sven...?_  
Sven crossed his arms, turning his head and looking away. "I hope you two weren't doing... dirty things."  
Rae felt heat rise to his face, while Victoria just laughed.  
"Let's go Sven, we have a mission today," she told him.  
Sven rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever..." He started towards the door of the kitchen, his arms still folded.  
Victoria followed him, not glancing back at Rae.  
_"Don't let her leave. Kill her, you coward!"_  
_If I kill her Sven will see._  
_"Kill him too!"_  
Rae glanced at the knife on the ground, reaching for it. He picked it up off the tile floor. He turned to throw it at Victoria, but her and Sven were already gone.

•  
Minutes erupted into hours, and hours evolved into days. Smoke sat beside Rita's bed, yawning. She didn't look badly injured, but the hospital's Audino said it was worse than it seemed. He glanced at the clock beside her bed. The time read 2:21 P.M.  
"When will I be out of here?" Rita asked. "I feel fine."  
Smoke rolled his eyes. "Whenever Audino says you can leave."  
"How's Rici?" Rita asked, yawning.  
Smoke shrugged. "He's good."  
There was a low silence.  
"And Plasma...?" Rita whispered.  
Sadness stung at Smoke's chest when the Emolga crossed his mind. She had gone into shock, and was currently in the hospital as well. It seemed witnessing Latias kill her best friend had put her into shock.

"She still won't do anything," he muttered, his gaze shifting to the ground. The white tiles reminded him of a blanket of snow. "She won't talk, she won't eat..." His voice shook. "I over heard two of the nurses talking. They think she's going to stay like that."

A look of shock spread across Rita's face. followed by a deep sorrow in her eyes.

Smoke couldn't stand looking at the sadness in her eyes. He quickly turned his face away, his gaze slipping to the window. Confusion rippled throughout him as he spotted a white outline against thewindowsill. Tilting his head in confusion, it took him a while to recognize the white substance as snow. Huge snowflakes floated gently from the white sky, finding a home on the ground below.

_I haven't seen snow in a long time..._

It was true. The last time he had seen snow, it was when he went into Shard Mountain. Snow never fell naturally anymore. He figured that it was because of the disruption in space. Still, seeing the gentle blanket on the ground eased his mind. He remembered his mother telling him and Seikou about about it when they were just young Cyndaquils. They had never seen snow before at the time, and his mother would give a pretty valid description of it. It always managed to calm him and his brother down.

He imagined that this time of year would be winter, it just didn't act like it. The weather had rotated through rain and humidity the whole winter season, that nobody seemed to notice that they should be getting snow.

Smoke shot a glance at the plaque beside the windowsill. He squinted, trying to read the words.

.

_"Forever we will protect, and keep safe, all Pokemon- good or bad._

_Never will we back down from a fight, no matter how tough or how weak, the Pokemon is._

_We will keep moving forward, until victory is achieved.__Because__we are rescue teams, and that's what we do._

_Forever we will protect the balance of space, time, darkness, and light._

_Forever we will protect all Pokemon."_

.

_The Pledge... I don't think we've said it for a long time. _He glanced at Rita, who still had sorrow floating around in her eyes. He suddenly wondered what would happen after the world was saved. Would Rita stay, or go home? He hoped she would stay.

_Team Meteor needs her. I wouldn't be able to stay on the team without her. _He smiled slightly, realizing what a fool he was. _She'll stay, of course. She'd never leave me... I'm sure of it._

"What are you smiling about?" Rita asked blankly.

Smoke stared at her, a smile still sewn on his face. He blinked. "Oh." He shrugged. "Just the snow."

•

•

Rita's gaze shifted across the dark room towards the window. The night sky twinkled with beautiful stars. The way they shone in the sky almost made them look like they had some kind of force around them.

Dark snow pelted the ground, covering the last remains of grass. Rita could hear the laughter of kid Pokemon as they played in the snow.

Smoke had left, since Nurse Audino had eventually shooed him away. It left Rita with alonelinesslurking in the pit of her heart.

She remembered back to the ghost world, where it seemedloneliest. She would cry out and get no answer. The only comfort were her old friends, but she couldn't see them anymore. She imagined them watching her, beside her bed, and it soothed her loneliness. She then remembered back to Lilac when she was saying goodbye. It seemed right before Rita had stepped into the portal, Lilac was trying to say something to her.

Suddenly, a quiet knock on the wooden door caused Rita to jump.

She glanced towards the door, trying to see it's outline through the darkness. "Yes?" she called.

A quiet voice answered her, no higher than a whisper. "It's Lilly."

Hearing her guardian's name eased Rita's spirits. She then remembered the warning Rae had given her about her guardian, and how he would hurt the Lilligant if he found out Rita was talking with her. Still, she wanted to talk to her guardian; her old partner.

"Come in," she called out quietly.

The door slowly creaked open, a dark shadow slowly moving against the wall.

Rita spotted the dark outline of Lilly as her shadow crept along the ground. She slowly closed the door behind her.

Rita grinned. "You're not here to try and kill me, right?"

"No, nothing of the sort." Rita couldn't tell if she was smiling or frowning.

"What do you need?" Rita asked softly.

Lilly shuffled her hands together, as if not knowing how to properly say what she was going to say. "Did Lilac tell you... everything?"

Rita nodded. "I'm going to disappear..." she whispered softly. She shrugged, despite her anxiousness about it. "If it's for the world though, I'm up for it."

Lilly still didn't seem satisfied. "Did she tell you what would happen _after_ you and the others disappeared...?"

Rita smiled. "The world will be brought back to order," she stated smoothly, sitting up a bit straighter.

"That too..." Lilly's eyes darkened. "And that after you disappear..." She seemed saddened by the words she was going to say. "Everybody will... for-"

"What are you doing in here?" Nurse Audino's voice surprised Rita as it cut off Lilly. "It's past visiting hours. I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

Lilly sighed a sigh of irritation. She started towards the door, stopping once to glance back at Rita. "Hurry up and get better, okay?" She left, Audino closing the door behind her.

Rita blinked, frustrated that Lilly didn't get to finish telling her.

•

"Rita?"

Rita blinked her eyes open, her gazeimmediatelydrifting towards the snow covered window. She yawned, glancing around for the voice that had woken her up. Her gaze fell upon Audino, who stood in the doorway.

She tilted her head, a slight smile making it's way across her lips. "You're allowed to leave now."

With a jolt, Rita sat up, relieved. She kept her gaze in Audino. "What about Rici?"

Audino held her smile. "He's doing great."

Rita nodded. "...That's good." She hopped off the bed. "So I can just... go?"

"Of course. Try not to get stabbed again."

She nodded. "Heh, I'll try my best~."

•

"Welcome back, Rita."

Rita gazed into the eyes of Lady Pidgeot. She stood in the Silver Room in front of the golden Pidgeot. "I wasn't gone long."

Lady Pidgeot held her gaze, looking slightly dazed. "I know." She glanced to the side. "It's just... we were all very worried about you." She cast a sideways smile at her.

Rita looked up at her. _I know it's sudden, but she needs to know about Rae. _"Mothe-" She cut herself off,embarrassed. "Lady Pidgeot... I need to tell you something important."

"What is it?"

"You know... Rae..."

"No, I don't know Rae," Lady Pidgeot said sarcastically, rolling her eyes with a small smile. "Tell me who he is. What's he like?"

"You know who he is!"

"Ah, I do, do I?" The Pidgeot fluffed her feathers, staringhumorouslydown at the Delcatty.

For some reason, the humor reminded Rita of a child joking with their mother. "Yes, Rae. Well there's something really important about him that you should know."

"Ah, that reminds me!" Lady Pidgeot ignored Rita's sentence. "Just last night someone joined Rae's rescue team."

"W-What?" _Who would join Rae's team?!_

Lady Pidgeot let out a laugh. "The new member says he's looking forward to working here, and it seems he already knows you."

_Already knows me? What?_

"I'm sure you two will be the best of friends."

"What's his name?" Rita narrowed her eyes, a growl forming in her throat.

Lady Pidgeot tilted her head, obviously confused at Rita's sudden change in emotion. "His name's Gengar~."

•

•

•

•


	29. 28: Memories Erased, Running out of Time

"G-Gengar?!" Fear rippled through Rita like a rip current, pulling her into the ocean to drown her. _No. No. This is wrong! Gengar's supposed to be some kind of ghost! Not a physical being!_

"Yep, his name's Gengar~. He has a lot to learn, so him and Rae are going to be staying here at the Rescue Camp so Gengar can train." She shrugged. "Since I'm so busy, Garnet and Ruby are going to help out with him. It's kind of nice having them around."

_No. This is terrible. All wrong, all wrong..._ She glanced wildly at Lady Pidgeot. "Pidgeot, Rae and Gengar are _evil_! You don't know how many times they've tried to kill me!" Her mind was frantic. "They're plotting to destroy the world!"

Lady Pidgeot blinked, tilting her head and grinning. "What a well thought out story." Her smile then EVOLVED[- yeah you see that I made a Pokemon reference wow wow wow] into a frown. "However, I cannot have you spreading rumors. I thought you two were friends."

Rita opened her mouth to object, but was quickly silenced by Lady Pidgeot's wing flapping over her face.

"I don't want to hear anymore about it." Lady Pidgeot glanced down at Rita, her attitude now changed. "And, also, I want you to keep an eye on Plasma. She's been acting strange." She pushed Rita towards the door. "Despite your injury, I still expect you to work hard." She opened the door, shoving Rita out. "Now bye~." The door slammed.  
Rita blinked, staring at the silver door. She gritted her teeth. _Dammit! She won't listen to me!_  
"RITA~!"  
A strong FORCE knocked her over, causing her to hit the silver door.  
"Ow..." she moaned, turning her head around to see who had tackle-hugged her. Her mood lightened when she spotted Plasma. _She seems happy. Pidgeot said she was acting weird though..._  
The young Emolga stared back at her, a smile plastered on her face. She blinked. "I've missed you, Rita! It's been lonely without you!"  
Rita grinned slightly, eyeing Plasma. "I've missed you too..." She tilted her head. "How... have you been? You were in the hospital, weren't you? From... shock..."  
Plasma looked confused, crossing her arms. "I was only in the hospital 'cause I got sick. No biggie." She smiled once again. "I've been great. Been great!"  
Rita raised an eyebrow, the Emolga's tone confusing her. "I meant... how have you been since... you know?"  
Once again, a puzzled expression rippled throughout Plasma's features. "What do I know? Nothing bad hapened, right? I hate unpleasant things."  
_She seems... different... _Rita stared at her. _This isn't the Plasma I know... is it? _"Moon. Remember...? I hate to bring it up, but honestly you're confusing m-"  
"I don't know who this 'Moon' character is..." She frowned. "Unless you mean the moon in the sky... I like that moon!" She giggled girlishly, but then a sad expression washed over her face. "Nothing bad happened to the moon, hapened to the moon, the moon, right?! I hate unpleasant things... Unpleasant things..."  
"Your _partner_ Moon, Plasma! What's wrong with you?" Rita shook her head. "You can't just act like she never existed..."  
"I don't know who you're talking about... Flower has always been my partner..." Her happy expression darkened. "Please don't bring up the name 'Moon' anymore. It's unpleasant. I hate unpleasant things." She smiled once again it was Rita's turn to wear a puzzled expression. "You goin' on any missions? Hey, did you greet Rae yet? He's missed you!"  
Rita blinked. "...What? Plasma, why would I talk to Rae?"  
"Why wouldn't you? He's so nice and caring~..." She giggled. "I wish that Veronica character didn't already steal him~. I'd keep him _all_ to myself."  
"What? _Rae_? Honestly, you're better off with Crobat. Rae's _evil_." She sighed. "What's gotten into you? It's like you don't remember _anything _at all..."  
Plasma's cheerful voice darkened. "I told you. I hate unpleasant things." She tilted her head, the excited look back in her eyes. "And why Crobat? Doesn't he hate me for some reason?"  
_What...?_  
"Anyway, I gotta rescue mission to go on!" She dipped her head. "See ya, Rita~!" She scampered away, Rita staring after her.  
"She's been like that since she was released from the hospital..."  
Rita turned her attention to Mightyena, who stood with his paw in a sling. It still looked twisted from the battle with Rae, but she imagined it was healing. "What happened to her?"  
"I imagine it's her way of coping with everything..." Mightyena sighed, looking slightly to the side. "It seems she's erased everything she considers as 'unpleasant' from her mind. She erased Chance, Vicky, Rae's evil side, Vapor, Night, and Moon... She seems to barely know me and Crobat anymore. She made it so everything is happy."  
Rita stared off in the direction Plasma had left. "...And Crobat and her were such a cute couple."  
Mightyena let out a small chuckle, before another serious expression crossed his face. "You must know Gengar is in physical form now."  
"...Yeah."  
"You know we need to go."  
Rita lifted her head. "...When?"  
"Like, now. Gather everyone up, including Veronica."  
"But, wait!" Rita answered. "I still don't know how exactly we are going to stop the world from ending, Shade! How?!"  
"We'll figure that out later," he growled. "We _need _to tell Pidgeot. She needs to know, and we need to get Rae and Gengar _out of here_."

Rita flushed in frustration, irritation prickling at her paws. "I already tried. She didn't believe me!" She frowned. "And what about Plasma? We have to take her with us, and she's unstable."

"Who ever said that we had to take the Pokemon World Pokemon?" Mightyena challenged. "Isn't it just a danger to them?"

Rita bit her lower lip. "I suppose... you're right... but..." She glanced to the side. "Plasma wanted to come, and I feel like we'd do a better job with them with us..."

"The more Pokemon there are, the more strength we'll have," he agreed, nodding his head. "But do you _really _want to put them in danger...?"

Rita hung her head. "No.. but..."

•

•

-At that same time-

"Hm, everything set?"

Rae nodded. "I think so. Arceus is finally under our control, right?"

Gengar laughed maliciously, a crazed look filling his eyes. "Indeed. Everything is _perfect_."

A white figuresuddenlymaterialized in front of Rae, taking the form of Froslass.

She bowed. "Everything is going according to plan. All the exits are blocked by Latios and Latias. We can't lose this time." Her eyes suddenly darkened, as she took on amisshapen frown. "Us three... _do_ exist in your perfect world, right? You're not pulling the same trick you did with the Clefairy...?"

_Of course I'm pulling the same trick. Nobody exists in the perfect world, that's the only way it'll be perfect. _Rae gave a fake smile, patting her on the back. "Of course you do. Why would we lie to such loyal followers?"

Though she didn't seem convinced, Froslass nodded anyway as the darkness in her eyes was replaced by a small sadness, as if she was remembering something. "Very well. Thank you, Rae, Gengar..." She disappeared.

Gengar placed a remote and a megaphone in both of Rae's hands. "Don't injure yourself, or I get hurt too." He cocked his head. "Now get down to business. Arceus'streacherystarts in a few short minutes." He laughed once more, his laugh filled with insanity. "Let the curtains rise on the final performance of the world!"

Rae breathed out, his heart racing. A picture of Vicky crossed his mind for a few short seconds, before he pushed it away. _No more Victoria. The world needs to be made perfect, once and for all._

•

•

"Rita, I'm coming no matter what."

She looked over, recognizing the gentle voice of Flower.

Flower had a calm look in her eyes as she flashed smiles towards the both of them. "You can't leave us out. It'd be unfair."

"Hmph, that's right."

Dragonite and Wigglytuff stepped from behind Mightyena, eyeing Mightyena and Rita.

"Surly you can't do it along, right~? Just the five of you can't beat all those strong Pokemon!" Wigglytuff gave a cheerful bounce. "You can't forget about us~!"

Rita felt something slap her back, as she noticed Dew appear.

He shot a grin at her. "You don't leave without us."

_What the Hell, where did they come from? Must be like, stalkers. _Rita smiled slightly, her confidence slightly boosted. "Thank you." She glanced at Mightyena, who seemed to be confused about the sudden appearance of all the Pokemon.

He sighed, shrugging. "If you wanna die, that's fine with me..."

Rita heard them all give a small cheer. She gazed at the ground, feeling the sudden presence of others around her. _Are they watching? Night, Vapor, Emerald, and Exploud? Everybody? _She breathed out slowly. "Rae will try to stop us. We have to stop him before he stops us."

"How do we do that?" Persian asked, flicking his tail in annoyance. "Honestly, we can't do much against him with Pidgeot around."

"Easy answer," Mightyena answered with a laugh. "_We kill him_."

"Wow, nice idea," Persian replied sarcastically. "Wish I'd thought of that earlier."

_How do we kill him? _Rita asked herself. _He's really strong, and he most likely has Latias, Latios, and Froslass around._  
"Shouldn't we be discussing this with Jet and Rici around?" Dragonite cut in, frowning. "I mean, they should hear."

"Been listening."

Rita cast her glance to Jet, who was standing behind Dew. Smoke seemed to be magically there as well.

_Stalker._

He returned her gaze, smiling gently at her. "I'm glad you're okay..." He gritted his teeth. "I wish Moon was still around... so I could hurt her..."

Rita frowned. "No, it wasn't Moon's fault. It was-"

"Attention Rescue Camp! This is Rae speaking!"

Immediately,murmursstarted erupting around the floor.

"Wow, Rae's so cool!"

"Using such a cool megaphone, wow!"

"You can't even see the megaphone, stupid..."

"RAE OH MY GOSH AGAGAAGAGAGAGAGA RAE YOU LIGHT UP MY WORLD LIKE NOBODY ELSE THE WAY THAT YOU FLIP YOUR HAIR GETS ME OVERWHELMED."

"Okay stop. Bye."

Rita gritted her teeth. _What does he want?_

"I'm holding you all hostage," Rae stated blankly, his voice stable.

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances, as Rita was able to make out Rae's figure outside the window. He held a yellow control in his hand, a white megaphone in the other. He stood by the staircase. Gengar stood next to him. It seemed like they had come from the previous floor, and were now outside.

Almost immediately, Rita saw Lady Pidgeot emerge from the Silver Room, Pidgey perched on her head.

Rae's gaze shifted to her's through the window. "Ah, hello. I'm holding your camp hostage."

Lady Pidgeot tilted her head. "...What?"

Rae raised his arm, showing her the controller. He then turned his face back to the crowd through the window, his arm still in the air. "I have planted bombs throughout the camp. I will not set them off unless someone tries to escape, or call for help." His gaze reflected slight insanity as he looked throughout the camp. "I have three of my followers surrounding the camp as well, keeping a close watch. You cannot escape. Gengar is tracking radio waves, so you cannot signal for help."

Gengar chuckled.

Lady Pidgeot's jaw hung open. "T-This is a joke... right...?" She looked among the crowd. "A joke...?"

"It is not a joke," Rae stated.

_How did he hear...?_

"What do you want, then...?" Garnet appeared beside Lady Pidgeot, his face fear-stricken. "What do you want?!"

"Rae, what are you doing?" Lady Pidgeot asked immediately after.

"I am doing simply what we need to do to get a perfect world." He smiled gently, chuckling. "I ask for just a few, simple tasks, and I will not blow up the camp."

"What are your demands...?" Ruby frowned, trembling.

"I ask for the suicides of Rita, Jet, Rici, Persian, and Mightyena, also known as Shade."

_The world will end anyway! They'll all die anyway, even if we don't kill ourselves... _She cast her gaze over to Jet, who was staringfiercelyat the window.

"No way!" he yelled. "Everything will die anyway!"

"Rita, you can't do it," Rita heard Lilly whisper in her ear.

She turned around, facing the Lilligant. "How do we get out of this, then?!"

"You don't~!" Rae answered cheerfully. His gaze darkened. "Now kill yourself. You have thirty minutes to decide."  
Thirty minutes. Thirty short minutes. Honestly, Rita didn't know what to do.  
"Well, what then...?" Persian asked, lashing his tail.  
Smoke stared at Rita, terror in his eyes. "Rita, there's no way you're killing yourself for Rae!" He gritted his teeth. "I won't allow it!"  
Rita frowned. "Really... what choice do we... have?" Her eyes reflected sadness. "Rae will kill everybody unless..."  
Jet frowned, anger raging through his eyes like a fire. "We are _not_ going to kill ourselves. Especially you, Rita."  
_Rici's still in the hospital... If we die, would he be able to do it on his own...? _Rita didn't feel too reassured by the thought, but it the only happy thought she could think at the time.  
"Rita? What is this?" Rita heard Lady Pidgeot question as she walked up to them. Pidgey was still perched on her head, looking quite terrified.  
Rita gazed up at her, feeling comfort in looking into her eyes.  
"Rae is evil," Jet stated blankfully. His gaze enraged, he went on. "I believe Rita tried to tell you before! You didn't listen to her! Pidgeot, stop being stupid and open your eyes! Do something!"  
"What can mommy do?!" Pidgey shot at him. "Nobody leaves the building, he said!"  
Jet shook his head violently. "Just.. do something, you old hag!" He gritted his teeth as he stepped closer to her. "We can't just... die. Or the world will be destroyed!"  
"Jet, calm down," Dragonite stated, shooting a glance outside and then back at him. "Arguing won't solve anything."  
Jet's eye twitched in annoyance. "Yeah, but-"  
"Hey, what's the sky doing?"  
The strange question caught Rita's attention, as everyone in the room averted their terrified gaze to the window, staring at the sky.  
A large, red streak moved across the sky, and a viscious wind blew threw the trees. The sky seemed to be rapidly changing colors, from purple to blue to red to orange.  
Garnet stared at it in awe. "What in the name of Arceus...?"  
A malicious, insane laugh came from outside. "Yes, Arceus indeed!" Rae lifted his head to the sky, the megophone placed in front of his face. His laughter continued. "HAHAHAHA! IT'S HAPPENING!"  
Everyone exchanged confused glances, except the ones who knew it was coming.  
Lady Pidgeot turned her gaze to Rita's group. "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"  
Lilly was the one who spoke, her gaze unmoving and blank. "The world is ending."

Flake gasped. "L-Lilly!" The Whimsicott looked uneasy. "Why do you say that?!"

Lilly ignored her, her gaze shifting to meet Rita's. "It's your duty to save the world. Protect it."

Rita gritted her teeth. "I can't protect it like this! Rae has us locked up here!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," Garnet hushed them. "What do you mean the world is ending?"

"Gengar has finally hypnotized all the legendary Pokemon," Lilly explained. "It's over, unless the human world members do something."

"What are we supposed to do?!" Rita challenged. "We've basically _lost. _Rae has won."

A silence filled the air as the truth enveloped them. It seemed all the Pokemon were now gathered on the 2nd floor. Rita knew they must finally understand, even if it was so sudden.

_They all know they are going to die either way. _She closed her eyes tight, wanting to cover her ears as sobs echoed through the floor. _We've lost. We can't let Rae blow up the camp, and the world will end either way. Us human world members will die either way._

"Wow, we really lost, eh?" Dew scratched the back of his head. "Such a bummer, I had so much I wanted to do with Lily..."

Lilly's face flushed. "What?!"

Dew laughed. "Nah, not you. The Umbreon from Team Light."

Pidgey let out a small squeak. "Mommy, are we really gonna die?"

Lady Pidgeot smiled up at him. "Of course not, let me try to reason with Rae." She averted her gaze to the window, stepping towards it. "Rae! Why are you doing this?" She tilted her head. "You were my best recruit..."

A smile bloomed on Rae's face as he spoke through the megaphone. Though he was smiling, his eyes reflected something else. "Ah, M'Lady, I admit I did rather enjoy working with you, though most of the time you just got under my skin. And as for your question; I already answered that." He gritted his teeth. "I need a perfect world! None of you exist there! It can't be perfect with humans in it! There are... too many flaws!" As Lady Pidgeot opened her mouth to speak, Rae interrupted her. "I enjoy chatting with you, but I'd like to get an answer out of the humans, and the Pokemon. I would like to see their dead bodies in front of me."

Lady Pidgeot turned around to face Rita's group. "It's no use. He's too focused on having you dead."

_Maybe... no. I can't reason with him alone... _She glanced around, looking for somebody that might be able to help her convince Rae to stop. _He can't be completely evil... nobody is... He used to be my friend, didn't he?_Her gaze fell on Veronica, who was standing silently with Sven on the far side of the room. _She can help me... Best friends forever, right?_

•

•

"...And you could help me convince him to stop this."

Sven stepped in front of Rita, blocking her view of Victoria. "No no no no_ no_ way! I'm not letting you take Vonny out there to be _killed_!"

"We'll be killed anyway if _something_ isn't done!" Rita protested.

"Didn't he say he wanted your body?" Sven asked, tapping his foot. "Well, kill yourself then!"

Rita's gaze showed obvious frustration. "If we die, then the world won't be saved!"

"So you think you're more important than us, huh?" Sven challenged, frowning. "Typical human!"

"No!" Rita shouted. "If I thought I was better than you then I wouldn't be sacrificing myself for this stupid planet!"

The word caught Victoria's attention. _Sacrificing? _Was Rita going to die?

Rita's gaze shifted to Victoria. "Vicky, we were best friends. Best friends stick together, right? Help me convince Rae..."

"Okay," Victoria replied blankly.

Sven's eyes widened. "What?! Vonny how could you say that?! And why is she calling you Vicky?!"

Victoria felt sadness pinch at her heart. "Because that's my real name," she stated. "Well, actually, it's Victoria. I am the reincarnation of Victoria the human." She stared intently into Sven's eyes. "I was originally part of the five humans destined to save the world, but because of my suicide, I was just simply given another chance at life." _Hm, sounds convincing enough._

Sven blinked, seeming to be taking it all in as he stared at the ground. "I believe you completely, Vonny, but if you were given a second chance at life..." His gaze met her's, as she could see tears forming in his eyes. "Why would you throw it all away?!"

Victoria stared back at him. "Rae won't kill me."

"How do you know that?!" he challenged. "It seemed to me that the other day he _tried _to kill you!"

"But he didn't," she replied, holding her gaze. "I..." She felt her face grow somewhat hot under her skin. "I know he won't... We're friends..."

"You were friends," Rita corrected. "Now you're... enemies..."

Victoria shook her head. "No. We're still friends." She smiled. "Not best friends like you and me, but still friends!"

Sven's face flushed in obvious jealousy, as he glanced at Rita. "Why would Jet allow you to go out there, anyway?"

"Jet thinks it's a good idea," Rita replied. "He'll be keeping an eye on me."

"It's worth a shot," Victoria chimed in, tilting her head with a smile. "Rae won't hurt me... I know he won't." She cast a smile at Rita. "I'll always be here, Rita. Best friends forever."

•

•

"It's almost over," Gengar breathed, a smile crackling on his face. "Soon the worlds will be gone."

Rae nodded, somewhat relieved. _It's a good thing. It's a good thing. We'll be able to create a... perfect world. _He glanced at the blood-red sky. _Maybe... just maybe... Arceus will be able to bring Victoria into the world..._

Gengar shot a glare at him. "She doesn't exist in that world, how many times must I tell you?"

Rae shrugged, a weird sadness groping at his stomach. "I know."

"You need to get over your little _crush_," Gengar hissed. "It can't work out if she's just going to die. Honestly, I have no idea why you didn't kill her before."

"Eh, I don't know either," Rae responded, stretching his arms out. Avoiding the subject of Victoria, he cast his glance towards the radio. They had planted microphones in the walls of the camp as well, so they could hear what was being said. _The world will finally be perfect. I can't be having doubts when I've worked so hard. _He gritted his teeth. _I wish they would hurry and kill themselves so we can wait for the world to end in peace._

Thunder crackled in the sky, as a light rain started hitting the ground. The sky changed to orange, the storm clouds a dark blue.

Rae cast a glance at Gengar. "What time is it? How long has it been?" He tightened his grip on the remote. He'd have no problem blowing up the camp. It would be destroyed anyway.

"They have ten minutes," Gengar replied, laughing. "They won't do it. Get ready to cause destruct-" He cut himself off, glancing towards the entry to the camp.

Rae traced his gaze, finally resting on Rita and Victoria, who stood right in front of the entryway.

Immediately, Rae raised the remote in the air, trying to keep his gaze off Victoria. "G-Get back inside, unless you want everyone to be blown to pieces!"

Gengar whipped his head around to face Rae. "Blow it up! They've broken the rules!"

Rae felt for the button to set off the first bomb, resting his finger on it.

"Wait!" Rita exclaimed. "We wanted to talk to you!"

Gengar rolled his eyes. "What could you _possibly_ want, unless you're going to kill yourself in front of us...?"

"She told you, we wanna talk~!" Victoria said with a pretty smile.

"Talk about what? Final words?" Rae lowered his arm, resting it at his side.

"We thought maybe we could convince you to stop," Victoria stated blankly.

"If that is your motive, then you'd best give up," Gengar replied with a sigh. His gaze darkened. "There is no hope for you."

"What Gengar said," Rae responded. _Honestly... They can't..._

"Just let us say a few things before we die," Rita stated, rolling her eyes. "It can't hurt."

Gengar let out another irritated sigh. "Fine, do what you want."

Rae watched as Victoria turned towards him, smiling.

"Rae," she started, "I love you."

Rae felt his face immediately heat up, as his tongue tied up in his mouth. Stunned, he stared into Victoria's eyes as her words finally registered in his mind. _"Rae, I love you." She... what? N-No... she can't love me... not after what I've done. _Unable to think of anything else, he responded with, "W-What?"

"Ah, you need me to repeat myself?" She giggled. "I love you, Rae~."

_T-That's what I thought you said. _He held his gaze, thought he didn't want to. _I..._

Gengar scoffed. "_Love_? What kind of a word do you think that is? It doesn't exist." He frowned. "Nobody loves, everybody hates. Such an imperfect world, which is why we are fixing it." He shrugged. "It might have existed a long time ago, but not anymore."

Rae finally averted his eyes, staring at the ground. "E-Exactly... This world needs to go..."

"Love exists if you search for it!" Rita argued, though seemed a bit fazed at Victoria's confession. "You just think everything about our world is wrong. I don't know what kind of past you had that makes you think that way, but there are just as many good things as bad things, if not more..."

"Bad things are the reason this world is so imperfect," Rae stated, his gaze dark.

"And good things make up for it," Victoria replied.

Rae tisked. "I-I've had enough of this." He felt for the button on the remote once again. "Isuggestyou go inside, and Rita you can hurry and kill yourself."

"Please drop the remote, Rae," Victoria pleaded, giving him a strange look. "Don't blow up the camp, please."

As much as he wanted to ignore her, he couldn't. Her words echoed in his head once more. _"Rae, I love you." _Confused to exactly why, he fell to his knees, clutching his head. The remote fell out of his hand. "Stop that, Vicky..." _Love... Love doesn't exist! Why, why does she keep saying it? Why?! Stop! Don't lie about things like that!_

"Rae, get up!" Gengar commanded.

Victoria turned to Rita. "Rita, get it!"

Before Rae could lift his head up, Rita had lunged for the remote. He barely had time to stand up before it was in her grasp. Gritting his teeth, he lunged at her, but felt something hold him back. He turned around to see Victoria with a grip on his tail. _I knew it, she just wanted to distract me. Love doesn't exist!_

He stared at her, not knowing what to do. For some reason he didn't want to hurt her.

_Then why..._

"Don't just stand there, idiot!" Gengar hissed. "KILL HER!"

Rae pulled away, doing a flip in the air and landing on his feet. Without thinking, he charged at her with iron tail, hitting her smack in the face.

She flew backwards, scrambling to her feet. She shook the dirt off her pelt, as she continued to simply stand still.

Rae scowled at her. "What are you doing?! Aren't you going to attack me?!"

Victoria simply smiled. "I can't attack you, I love you."

"GIVE IT TO ME!"

Rae averted his gaze to see Gengar grabbing crazily at Rita, trying to get the remote from her. Rain streamed across his face, making him look all the more crazy. He caught Rae's gaze. "I'm busy here! Kill the Vulpix!"

Rae looked back at Victoria, who was still smiling at him. He gritted his teeth, his face red. "A-Attack me! Don't just stand there!"

"I can't attack my friend," she responded with another smile.

"STOP!" Rae clutched the side of his head, his face wrinkled in a frown. "Stop using those words, they don't make sense!"

"KILL HER!" Rae heard Gengar scream again.

"Love doesn't exist..." Rae mumbled, not meeting anybody's gaze. Tears started to well up in his eyes. "Doesn't exist... But... Then why..."

_"Rae, I love you."_

"THEN WHY DO I LOVE HER BACK?!"

It seemed like time slowed as Rae watched Gengar's eyes widen in anger, before moving away from Rita and striking down Victoria with a knife. He seemed to move like a demon, almost teleporting.

Rae's mouth hung open, nothing but a choking sound escaping it. "Ah... Vick..."

_"Rae, I love you."_

_"I trust you."_

_"Friends."_

_"I love you."_

_"I love you."_

_"I love you, Rae."_

Gengar stood over Victoria, who was coughing up blood. "You're the reason he's having doubts. If he won't kill you, I will." As he raised his knife behind his head, Rita tackled him.

"GET OFF HER!" she cried, clawing at him. She threw multiple thunderbolts at him, causing him to stumble backwards.

As he was hit with the thunderbolts, Rae also felt the pain of Rita's enraged thunderbolts. He knelt to the ground, clutching his head. "Ow, ow, ow..." He cast a squinted gaze up to where Victoria was laying.

The Vulpix seemed to be struggling to stand up, blood seeping out of a wound in her chest.

Rae couldn't do anything but watch. _I love her. I love Victoria. _He felt a tear stream down his face. _I love her. I love her. I love Victoria, and she loves me. We love each other. Love exists. It exists. _Soon tears were rushing down his cheeks like a current, dripping on the ground. _Gengar lied. I thought there was only hate. Love exists. _He blinked his tears away. _Is the world really so imperfect?_

Rae hadn't realized that multiple Pokemon were now streaming out of the building, surrounding Victoria as she lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

Gengar hadn't noticed either, as he halted his fight with Rita to search for the remote.

Rae traced his gaze, finally spotting it in a tuft of grass by the building. Without thinking, Rae raced towards it as Gengar did. He snatched it off the ground, right before Gengar arrived to take it.

"Rae, give it to me!" Gengar snarled. "Listen to me! Don't ignore me!"

Rae stared at Gengar, the wetness from his tears stinging his eyes. He looked from Gengar to the remote, and as he looked back up at Gengar he spotted Latias, Latios, and Froslass behind Gengar.

"Rae, what's happening...?" Froslass tilted her head, obvious confusing planted on her face. Latias and Latios surprisingly had the same expression.

"Rae, drop the remote," Rae heard Lady Pidgeot command. "Give it to me."

Rae backed away, shaking his head.

_It's... imperfect... isn't it? Is it? I don't understand who's right..._

Gengar held out his hand. "Here, Rae, give it to me. I saved you, remember? Your only friend."

Rae was quiet for a few moments. _Then... why... _"Then why did you lie...? Friends... don't..." He shot a glance at Rita, then Jet, then Victoria. "Lie," he finished.

Gengar smiled gently at him. "What did I lie about...?"

"You said there was nothing good in the world," Rae hissed.

Gengar held his smile. "There isn't. It's imperfect."

"Love exists." Before Gengar could reply, Rae turned towards the camp. He reached down and picked up the megaphone off of the ground, a small, final insane laughter in his voice. "Everybody exit the Rescue Camp immediately," he commanded.

"R-Rae!" Latias exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

Rae turned around to face her, seriousness in his gaze. It drifted from her, to Latios, to Froslass. "You three were never going to be part of the perfect world. It was a lie."

As he listened to their silence of realization, he yelled back in the megaphone. "EVERYBODY OUT."

Gengar let out a low growl. "What are you doing?!"

Rae was silent as he slowly walked towards the entry of the camp, after everybody exited.

Gengar followed him, obviously pissed off.

"Rae!" Lady Pidgeot called. "What are you doing?!"

Rae didn't look back as he continued towards the entry to the camp.

"Rae."

Rita's voice caught his attention. She seemed to know what he was doing.

He looked back at her.

"No matter what happened, I'll always remember that we used to be friends." She smiled.

"Thank you..." Rae glanced at Victoria, then to Sven who was at her side. "Keep her company, okay?"

Sven simply glared at him.

"I love Victoria..." he stated, before going inside, completely ignoring Lady Pidgeot's cries. "Save the world, Rita. Run and don't look back."

"Rae, Rae, listen to me!" Gengar growled. "What are you doing?! Answer me! I command you! What's gotten into you?! What happened to our perfect world?!"

Rae stood in the middle of Floor 2, taking in a huge glance of the Rescue Camp's main floor. "I liked working here..." He looked outside, staring at Victoria. "Maybe if I'm lucky, I can see you again... Maybe..."

"RAE, STOP IGNORING ME!" Gengar lunged for the remote, which Rae pulled away from him.

Gengar breathed heavily. "What's wrong with you? Don't you want a perfect world anymore?!"

"No."

"Why?!" Gengar's eyes were filled with rage. "If you don't do it, I will!" he hissed, tackling Rae.

"You can't if you're dead," Rae stated. "If I die, don't you die too?" He pushed Gengar off of him, standing up once more.

Gengar grimaced. "Stop talking like this... y-you're insane!"

Rae let out a small huff of laughter. "Indeed, I am. What's wrong with that?" He smiled. "I don't need the new world anymore~." His finger rested on the button that would set Floor 2's bomb off.

_"Rae, I love you."_

_I love you too._

_"I trust you."_

_I trust you to. You can save the world._

_"Friends."_

_The best._

_"I love you."_

_I love you more than you can imagine._

"But this world is full of so many flaws... so many imperfections!"

Rae chuckled, a strange happiness settling over him. "And that's what makes it perfect."

He pressed the button.

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**THOUGHT I'D FINALLY KILL HIM OFF. If anyone actually cares about the story and likes Rae, don't hate me forever. Lawl Uh, please tell me what you think. Kthxbai**


End file.
